Corn Glean helps feed Orlandoans

It’s harvest season on the farms surrounding greater Orlando, but despite modern technology and farming techniques, some food is still left in the field after each harvest.

The Society of St. Andrew is a downtown Orlando organization that helps save the food left in the fields. Their mission statement is to “bring people together to harvest and share healthy food, reduce food waste, and build caring communities by offering nourishment to hungry neighbors,” according to their website, EndHunger.org.

On Oct. 6, the Society teamed up with the City of Orlando’s Office of Sustainability & Resilience to glean a sweet corn field belonging to Long & Scott Farms near Mount Dora.

What is gleaning? Gleaning has a long tradition and is even mentioned in the Bible. After a harvest, there is still often edible food left in a field because it was missed, dropped, too small, misshapen, damaged or due to some other reason. Walking back through a field, individuals can pick up the food by hand.

Over 30 volunteers helped harvest 2,928 pounds of fresh produce, which was then distributed to the

community that afternoon. In addition to the corn, cucumbers were also harvested; volunteers noticed that “volunteer” cucumbers had sprung up between the corn rows. The field had previously been planted in cucumbers, and their old seeds voluntarily sprouted, hence the term “volunteer.”

Rebecca Brockman, the Society of St. Andrew’s Florida program coordinator, has an office downtown at 406 E. Amelia St. She organized the Oct. 6 glean and has many more lined up over the coming months.

“We want to build a caring community of neighbors that makes sure we help each other get nutritious food, and that we’re connecting with the environment and reducing waste,” Brockman said.

Recipients of the Oct. 6 event included the City of Orlando’s community centers, Orange County Environmental Protection, Picnic Project of Sanford, the Lazarus Project of Kissimmee and the Society of St. Andrew.

“It’s disheartening to learn that almost half of all agricultural produce goes to waste,” Maya Murad, one of the volunteers, wrote. “However, participating in St Andrew’s Gleaning Picnic Project allows volunteers, including myself, to combat food insecurity and prevent food waste in a sustainable manner. What a fulfilling feeling knowing that families and individuals will be receiving delightful packages delivered directly from Florida fields to their tables!”

Long & Scott Farms has a long tradition of giving food back to the community by partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank and other local gleaning groups. According to their website, “produce left [that is] in the fields after harvest is gleaned, and the “ugly”, but perfectly edible crops are sent to the food bank to be distributed across the country. Long & Scott Farms donates more than 4 million pounds of nutritious food per year for our neighbors in need.”

The gleaning season lasts from October to mid-June. Brockman said that downtown Orlando residents can get help by volunteering or helping with gleans, crop-drops, bag-tying, or local food pantries and community gardens.