In anticipation of the summer harvest season, we are now recruiting harvest leaders!
Gleaning Harvest Leaders commit to leading a small crew of volunteers to harvest excess fruit or vegetables in farms and gardens, and deliver the delicious bounty to Interfaith Food Ministry (IFM), who then distribute the produce to 8,000 clients in need! Crew leaders typically lead 1-2 gleans a month, July – October. To date the Sierra Harvest gleaning volunteers have harvested and donated more than 36,000 pounds of produce in the past two seasons!
Why should YOU be a volunteer Harvest Leader?
Lisa Haden, one of our returning leaders, shares that “being a harvest leader has been an incredibly enriching experience on many levels. From learning about picking techniques to different methods of pest control for apple trees, to learning about how Interfaith serves the community, to representing Sierra Harvest and meeting all the volunteers; it’s been like biting into a juicy exotic heirloom apple and savoring all the waves of flavors!”
Awesome perks
There are so many reasons to be a leader – create new friendships, see gorgeous areas of Nevada County, meet wonderful hosts that are generously offering up their fruit to be gleaned, feel good about helping to reduce food waste and diverting it to those that truly need it, build your leadership skills, get more fresh air and take some produce home too!
What about social distancing?
Sierra Harvest is closely watching state and local guidelines for COVID as they evolve over the season, and the most recent news suggests that restrictions will slowly begin to be lifted as the harvest season approaches. Gleaning will only happen if it can be done within the safety guidelines provided to us by local and state governments.
How to apply
Email Miriam@sierraharvest.org by May 20 with your contact info to set up a phone interview. Training and mentoring from veteran leaders will take place prior to leading your own gleaning team. First team meeting will be the first week of June.
Join the fun and supportive gleaning team of volunteer Harvest Leaders and make a significant difference in the health of our community members while savoring all the waves of flavors of juicy fruit this season!