`
Instead of market, surplus crops go to needy
Food banks get produce that would otherwise be left to rot in the ground or plowed under
For many gardeners, charity begins at home with contributions of fresh produce to local food banks.
Other people...
More
`
Instead of market, surplus crops go to needy
Food banks get produce that would otherwise be left to rot in the ground or plowed under
For many gardeners, charity begins at home with contributions of fresh produce to local food banks.
Other people volunteer as gleaners in farm fields and orchards, salvaging unused crops that might get
plowed under, dumped or left to rot.
Gleaning is one of the earliest forms of charity, mentioned frequently in biblical accounts as the
gathering of unharvested crops purposely left in the corners of farm fields for anyone needing it.
Times again are tough for thousands of families who can t afford a steady diet of fresh, wholesome
fruits and vegetables.
Yet an estimated 27 percent of all food crops go un-harvested in the United
States — some 97 billion pounds, according to the U.
S.
Department of Agriculture.
Most are
discarded because of cosmetic blemishes, harvesting problems or unstable market prices.
Enter such organizations as the Society of
Less
