Salvation Farms

Salvation Farms' Gleaning Network

Our Mission:

To harvest excess farm produce, establish state wide and local/community links between farms and Vermonters in need through the network partners of the Vermont Foodbank while providing a service and a viable business solution to Vermont farmers.

Salvation Farms' Gleaning Network

Salvation Farms is a cost free resource available to farmers and food sites, providing volunteer crews for salvaging farm surplus and arranging storage and distribution of fresh food donations. Salvation Farms considers "Vermonters in need" to include those who are food insecure and/or nutritionally insecure.

Donation recipients consist of local emergency food sites, educational and care giving institutions, retirement communities, non-profits, and the Vermont Foodbank.

Why We Glean:

"The United States produces 356 billion pounds of food annually. Of this annual total, 96 billion pounds is lost between production and consumption every year. This translates into 27 percent of the American food supply (Kantor et al. 1997)."

"The 96 billion pounds of wasted food could easily feed the 38 million people considered food-insecure in America (Nord et al. 2004)."

(Click here to donate to the Vermont Foodbank)

Interested in participating as a volunteer, community leader, farm owner, or produce donation site? Contact:

Program Director of Agricultural Resources:

Theresa Snow

(802) 477-4114

tsnow@vtfoodbank.org

Salvation Farms' Gleaning Network
Vermont Foodbank
PO Box 254
South Barre, VT 05670

Salvation Farms was established in Jan. 05 by Jen O'Donnell and Theresa Snow and was fiscally sponsored by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont and became a program of the Vermont Foodbank in January of 2008.

Our Journey:

In 2004, Salvation Farms began as a non-profit side project at Pete's Greens and in 2005 started working under the fiscal sponsorship of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont. Officially organized in 2005 to serve the Lamoille Valley area, Salvation Farms has strengthened greatly in the years since its inception due to the dedication of its co-founders Jen O'Donnell and Theresa Snow. Between 2005 and 2008, the organization's gleanings have totaled over 88,000 pounds.

Salvation Farms strived to create a model that can be implemented and maintained by any community. When successfully replicated these systems will remedy the lack of fresh produce available at food sites serving the nutritionally and food insecure in Vermont. Naturally, the future of local fresh food recovery depends on the level of interest across Vermont, and the collaboration of organizations and individuals at the community level.

Refinements to the Salvation Farms' concept continue, increasing the efficiency and adaptability of fresh food recovery.

In January 2008, Salvation Farms became an official program of the Vermont Foodbank becoming the Salvation Farms Gleaning Network. This development offers both stability and ways to increase Vermont's food security. As we sharpen our skills, we hope to show that (with determination) gleaning can become a reality for all Vermont communities on the path to a more sustainable future.

~ Many hands make light work ~