Gleaning 101
Glean: (verb)
1. To harvest (grain) left behind by reapers.
2. To collect bit by bit.
3. To obtain as a result of effort.
4. To gather a return or reward.
We were asked at one of our coupon classes about gleaning. A friend of mine belongs to the Renton Community Co-Op. She shares her excess bread with me, and I share our fresh eggs with her. This co-op gleans from:
PCC Natural Markets: bakery items, gluten free items, dairy, deli salads, pizzas, sub sandwiches
Costco: Bakery items only – muffins, breads, cupcakes, cakes, brownies
Saars: Produce only
Franz: Bakery items only
Panerra: Bakery items – bagels, bread, pastries, cookies (all made fresh that day)
Members are required to drive to one of the gleaning pickups twice a month, and take the items home to divvy up into boxes according to how many families are in their local group. Once a week, members are required to go pick up their boxes.
There is a lot of food that is not usable and will need to be recycled/composted, but there is more than plenty that is perfectly fresh – and its good stuff like Dave’s Killer Bread and organic dairy products. A lot of the items gleaned are store overstock, and not necessarily items close to their pull dates.
Annual donations of $30 per household for those financially able are appreciated, but not required for membership.
Click here to learn more about the Renton Community Co-op or google co-ops in your local area..