Boston Area Gleaners is committed to supporting an equitable, just, and sustainable local food system. By working closely with farmers, volunteers, and hunger relief agencies, we work to power a supply chain from farms to those in need, reduce food waste, and promote long-term farm sustainability.
Since our founding in 2004, we remain the region's only on-farm gleaning organization, and are uniquely poised to bridge a critical gap in our food system—between the up to 40% of crops that go unharvested in farmers' fields and the 1 in 7 Massachusetts residents (including 1 in 5 households with children) that are food-insecure. Throughout the harvest season, we organize volunteer trips to local farms to gather high-quality fruits and vegetables that would otherwise be plowed under, for distribution to agencies serving food-insecure families.
With the help of our volunteers and partners, we have been able to grow to rescue and distribute over 1 million pounds of produce for our community annually, and serve as a major supplier to hundreds of hunger relief organizations in the region.