Ag Against Hunger Kicks off 2018 Gleaning Season
In support of Ag Against Hunger, Germains staff, parents and children over the age of 10 volunteered for the first gleaning harvest of the 2018 season at Oceanmist Farms. Our group of volunteers learned that gleaning dates back to biblical times. In many parts of Europe, portions of fields were reserved for the poor and enforced by law. Today the tradition continues via large commercial farms throughout the Salinas growing region who continue to contribute to feeding the hungry by allowing gleaning crews to harvest fields that have already been harvested for commercial markets. Everything gleaned from the field is used to supply the local food banks through volunteer gleaning events coordinated by Ag Against Hunger.
Ag Against Hunger 2018 Gleaning Program
Kicking off in May 2018, Ag Against Hunger is organizing gleaning events through the month of October 2018. On May 5th, 2018 over 30 volunteers including Germains Staff and family members spent their morning harvesting cauliflower fields at Oceanmist Farms in Castroville. With much laughter and hard work, the group of volunteers successfully harvested six pallets of fresh cauliflower that will be donated to the local Food Banks. Volunteers gained an appreciation for the hard work of field workers who harvest our fresh vegetables on a daily basis and a better understanding of the origins of the vegetables we eat. The gleaning events are a great way for children and adults to gain volunteer experience while enriching family and community bonds by spending time in the field. Plus it gives our staff the opportunity to see fields planted with Germains seed treatments.
About Ag Against Hunger Program
Over 50 growers and shippers throughout the Salinas regions support Ag Against Hunger by donating surplus produce from their coolers and allow Ag Against Hunger to host gleaning events in their fields that have already been harvested for commercial market. Not only does the program help those in need, it also reduces the amount of product that may end up in the landfill or disked into the field.
The various volunteer programs coordinated by Ag Against Hunger attract over 1,000 individuals who believe in the cause. In addition, the non-profit organization receives financial contributions from Germains and other prominent agriculture businesses throughout the region. Germains Seed Technology North America is a proud contributor of this organization and looks forward to participating in the gleaning events scheduled for 2018.