Small Gleans, Big Impact: Keeping Good Food Moving
- David Roberts
- November 22, 2025
- 5:55 pm
- 0 comments
Program Director
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How Our Community Keeps Good Food Moving
This past month, our community rolled up their sleeves and helped rescue fresh, local food through several small but meaningful gleans — from an apple orchard, to a walnut grove, to one generous neighbor’s backyard. Though modest in size, each glean played an important part in keeping good food local, fresh, and put to good use.
100 Pounds of Apples Rescued
A generous donor in the Santa Ynez Valley invited Veggie Rescue to harvest apples that would have otherwise gone unpicked. With the help of volunteers and leadership from Executive Director Eryn Shugart and Board Member Chris Bashforth, we collected 100 pounds of beautiful apples.
These apples were quickly delivered to two of our nonprofit partners:
- A to Z Cooking School, where they will be used to teach kids and teens hands-on, healthy cooking skills.
- Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, where they will be included in their monthly food distribution to local families.
60 Pounds of Walnuts Collected
Eight amazing volunteers joined us in a walnut orchard to gather 60 pounds of fallen walnuts. These were delivered to:
- SYV Community Outreach, where their chef incorporated them into meals and desserts for local families.
A Backyard Harvest of
Persimmons & Tangerines
Most recently, one Carpinteria neighbor opened their backyard to Veggie Rescue for a small but fruitful harvest. Our team and volunteers gathered persimmons and tangerines, ensuring that even these smaller quantities didn’t go to waste. This produce is already on its way to our nonprofit partners, where it will be shared with families who appreciate fresh, local fruit.
A Reminder of What
Community Can Do
Even small gleans make a meaningful difference. Each pound rescued stays in our community and helps ensure our nonprofit partners have access to fresh, nutritious food — whether it comes from an orchard, a farm, or a single backyard tree.
Thank you to our volunteers, farm donors, and community partners who make this work possible.