Suncoast Gleaning Project

The History Of Gleaning

Since 1980, food banks throughout the United States have been participating in the time-honored tradition of gleaning: rescuing food from local farms that would otherwise go to waste in the fields.

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Solutions For A Devastated Food System

Since 2010, Sunshine Community Harvest (Transition Sarasota / Community Harvest SRQ) has employed this tradition of gleaning as a key strategy for igniting our economic and community resilience. This initiative is called the Suncoast Gleaning Project.

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Curb The Wastefulness

The objective of the Suncoast Gleaning Project begins at combatting food waste at a preventative stage, minimizing the potential for waste as close to the source as possible. Volunteers harvest and rescue excess produce from area farms so we can put their nourishment to better use.

The Dirty Facts On Food Waste
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For Those In Need

The collection of rescued, fresh foods that are harvested by our volunteers during gleaning efforts is donated to local food banks in Sarasota and Manatee counties, to provide healthy, fresh, local produce to those most in need. Our gleaning initiative guides the way toward a world where no one is left food-insecure.

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The Power Of Local Food

While building community and educating our neighbors about hunger, food security, and local agriculture, the Suncoast Gleaning Project also helps area farmers survive and thrive through tax-deductions they will receive for the full value of the produce they donate.

We believe creating this sustainable system, in addition to building strong neighborhood relationships and economic partnerships, we create a broader safety-net for our resilient, local community to thrive and grow.

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Gleaning Doesn’t End In The Fields

In the spring of 2019, we expanded our gleaning initiative to include a neighborhood fruit gleaning effort called Suncoast Fruit Rescue, to divert and connect unharvested, local fruit from private backyards and neighborhood trees to area food banks and pantries.

Learn More
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Community Forward

The Suncoast Gleaning Project is a win-win-win-win for farmers, food banks, the food insecure, and volunteers. While combatting food waste, it provides local, nutritious produce to diverse populations, supports local farms with a tax deduction for donated produce, and builds community by uniting volunteers with an interest in local, sustainable food.

Gleaning FAQ's

Get Involved

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“Some of the most impactful changes we can make is taking what is being wasted and turning it into a valuable resource.”

-Don Hall, Founder of Transition Sarasota