My involvement with GleanSLO began by sharing an idea. That is really what GleanSLO is centered on; the idea of sharing which is so simple. I started with a group of friends gleaning in the North County in 2007. We started a small non-profit we called Bountiful Gardens, collecting and distributing excess fruit and produce grown by backyard gardeners. We donated the produce to agencies that provided food to people, cooked meals for people, and gave to folks that were referred to us by concerned neighbors. It evolved into Backyard Harvest which was a National Organization gleaning in communities and sharing that idea of using produce that would otherwise be wasted. After several years of essentially full time work harvesting and connecting people and food, our organization needed to take a breather. Shortly after, I was approached by Carolyn Eicher, from San Luis Obispo. Carolyn was so enthusiastic and thoughtful and had similar ideas she wanted to create in San Luis Obispo. We both shared ideas about improving fresh produce availability within the County’s Food Bank, using food that would otherwise be wasted, incorporating more fresh produce into food programs and helping to establish a community of volunteers who would like to share in that process. Carolyn’s group of volunteers picked up the organization transforming what started as Backyard Harvest into GleanSLO. My part was really as a seed of an idea that was shared, and nurtured by others to create GleanSLO.
My time working with gleaning was rewarding on many levels. I loved the simplicity of going to people’s homes or farms, collecting produce and seeing how that gesture could make a huge difference. People were so generous and kind. I loved the older folks who had wonderful fruit trees they could no longer harvest by themselves. Some people have real relationships with their gardens and trees, and wanted to share stories of special times when a fruit tree was planted to commemorate a special occasion in their life. Some needed assistance doing the physical labor but wanted to share what they had with others. I had the opportunity to meet wonderful people in my community, and be touched by so many acts of kindness and quiet generosity.