OFS’s Gleaning Season Tops 16,000 Pounds of Food Harvested 

Some of the freshest produce in our region never makes it off the farm. Sometimes farmers have grown more they can sell, the produce has the wrong size or shape for retail standards, or there’s simply surplus crop. To remedy this, the OFS Gleaning Program rescues thousands of pounds of produce every year and makes sure it gets onto the dinner tables of people facing food insecurity. 

So far this year, more than eight tons of fresh fruits and vegetables have been harvested from local farms, orchards, and community gardens by OFS volunteers and staff. That reflects an increase of 55 per centover last year, made possible by an ever-widening circle of partners and an increase in donations from existing partners.  

This year, gleaning began in February, months earlier than in the past, and nine farm and garden partners opened their fields and shared their produce, including Eckert’s Farm, Greenhouse Ventures, Green St. Louis Machine, Biver Farms, EarthDance Organic Farm School, Liberty Apple Orchard, and Urban Harvest STL.  

Growers like Amy Cloud and Jose Lara at Three Rivers Community Farm in Elsah, Illinois, have been working with OFS for six years. What began as an effort to rescue extra produce has turned into an intentional and impactful system of donation. In fact, Three Rivers grows extra rows of produce specifically for the purpose of giving them to us. The seeds are purchased and donated by members of their Community Supported Agriculture group. OFS benefits from crops of kale, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers. These nutrient-dense, healthy foods are then distributed quicky through our partner network and put in the hands of people in the community. 

One new partner also planted crops with the intention of donating them: the Danforth Plant Science Center has a field research site, and this year they utilized an unused plot to plant sweet corn with the sole intent of donating what grew. Nearly 4,000 pounds of corn was harvested by more than 20 volunteers, making it the biggest gleaning event of the year! 

You can be part of the final gleaning events of 2026! We have openings at several upcoming events, and we’d love to see you out in the field. It’s a great family volunteer opportunity, and you can find dates and sign up information at Volunteer.OperationFoodSearch.org. 

If you’re a farm, orchard, or community garden with extra produce to share, contact our team at gleaning@operationfoodsearch.org.