The Gleaning Project is a program of the Bellingham Food Bank focused on getting our community more access to local and fresh foods while helping our farms and neighbors. Our volunteers harvest thousands of pounds of produce each season from local farms, orchards, backyard trees and farmers markets to feed families in need across Whatcom County.
Gleaning opportunities are scheduled from June to October, and weekend opportunities are sometimes available. Work party details are shared via an email notification, and registered gleaning volunteers are able to sign up on a first-come, first-served basis.
Contact Sion Calabretta at 360-303-0912
glean@bellinghamfoodbank.org
Already Registered:
Registered gleaning volunteers can click the button below to view posted gleans and sign up for upcoming gleaning shifts.
Want to host a glean at your farm or property?
Check out our guide to hosting a glean below!
Garden Donation Rules
- Summer squash should weigh less than 2 pounds each. We don’t want your monster squash!
- Do not donate ground fallen fruit.
- Please remove the roots from lettuce, spinach, and other greens.
- Do not donated bolted greens that have gone to seed. They are extremely bitter.
- If it’s dirty, give it a quick wash!
- You do not need to bag individual squash, cucumbers, heads of lettuce and other items.
In general, the number one guideline for donating is: Would you eat it?
If not, consider composting it instead!