Tag: sosa

Gleaning – All the Beans!!!

Brian FullfordLeave a comment

Our first bucket of beans

Gleaning is back with a vengance! Well, for me it is. Unfortunately the opportunities have recently been solely weekday, so when Sandi sent the email asking us to be at the ready for this past Saturday my wife and I blocked out the time. The morning was spent at the KYV farm off of 16A which is near World Golf Village. It was a beautifully crisp Saturday and the first vegetable glean. Our target crop was green beans and while a bit less demanding than picking citrus there was considerable effort needed to maneuver through the bushes so that we did not destroy the entire plan.

Adding to the joy of working the land again was a fact I would learn latter: this land is owned by a friend’s brother! Nice to be part of that circle. Our responsibility was a delivery to Waste Not Want Not and our yield for them was 53 pounds. I have no idea whether that is good or bad harvest but it sure looked like a lot of beans! Here is the email from Sandi letting us know how successful the day was as well as what opportunities are upcoming.

Good morning gleaners! Last Saturday, 14 volunteers enjoyed a breezy morning in the bean field, picking 300 lbs. of tender, delicious green beans. We’re returning to the farm this Wednesday morning at 8:30 to see if we can harvest another few hundred pounds before the plants are pulled and the field put to rest for the summer. It would be great if you could join us for a few hours to see if we can’t “rescue” these beans for the agencies we serve.

I also have the following dates set for gleaning: Saturday, 5/19 and Wednesday, 5/23, potatoes in Hastings; and Saturday, 5/26, cabbage in Wellborn (near Lake City/White Springs).

PLEASE respond to this e-mail if you are available for any of these dates, and I will send directions and details.

Sandi

The cabbage gleaning is a welcomed opportunity because it means coleslaw! Also, it is near an area to camp and kayak should anyone want to make a day of it. As always, the vehicle has open seats and I would love to spend the day with anyone who can make the time.

Gleaning – Update

Brian FullfordLeave a comment

I received a response in regards to my correspondence with Society of St. Andrew.

Hi Brian-
Thanks for your interest in gleaning opportunities with Society of St.
Andrew in the Jacksonville area.
We will be gearing up for our season which starts in November and goes
through June. We begin with “backyard citrus” trees that are offering
by homeowners across Duval County, and move on to field crops like
broccoli and cabbage in April and May and finish with potatoes in June
and July. The fields are located around Hastings, which is a small
town that lies between St. Augustine and Palatka on CR207.
I’ll send an e-mail outlining volunteer opportunities around the first
of November!
Sandi Newman
Area coordinator

Look for more updates to come!

Gleaning the Farms and Other Items

Brian FullfordLeave a comment

For anyone who is interested, I have contacted SoSA (Society of St. Andrews) to volunteer time in the farms of Florida, gleaning food for the hungry. This is a group that works in a good number of other states (here). If you are at all interested in spending time to help let me know. When they contact me with availability I will share it on the site.

With South Carolina being another state to glean in I will probably be requesting times there as well.

A few other projects being worked on are below. As you can read, Chris is very busy.

  • I have sent out an email to some friends I think can offer their services or direct me to ones who can for a chili cookofff I would like to host in December. Proceeds would go towards the Second Harvest of North Florida and the West Chatham Food Pantry. My plan is to ask for a $5 donation and 5 cans of food. The food collected will go directly to Second Harvest. My first order of business is to get some chefs. Let me know if you can help.
  • I am trying to frame a Pop Warner Scholarship Fund so we can help pay for at least one child to play Pop Warner Football. Listening to Fred Taylor’s retirement speech today, where he spoke of his grandmother scraping together $60 for him to play, has further inspired me that this will be a worthy effort.
  • Chris is working to coordinate a food drive at Wake Technical Community College with other like-minded campus groups.
  • Chris is working to coordinate an event for Veterans Day. This could include acquiring a flag that has been flown over the state capital and presenting it to the oldest living veteran in North Carolina.
  • Chris is working to set up a $500 scholarship fund on Wake’s campus.

The $1 Facebook Friend Fund never got off the ground and with Chris now off Facebook I am carrying the standard. I know the one-click donation link will help (or I hope it will) and it has not been forgotten. Also, please don’t forget to keep those BoxTops. Remember, I will come and get them.