Knox County Gleaners
Harvesting Our Fields, Feeding Our Neighbors.
Knox County Gleaners
We help area farmers, along with restaurants, and other food businesses that end up with a surplus, by harvesting and transporting these items to area non-profits – including food pantries, senior centers, and libraries – that then provide this food at no charge to those they work with.
In offering this service we hope to reduce food waste while increasing food security in Knox County and the surrounding areas at the same time!
Get In Touch to learn more about our programs or become a partner. And visit our job board to see what positions are open if you’d like to volunteer with us!
Program Summary
2024 was a transition year as some folks needed to step away from the Knox County Gleaners program. To continue the program, Come Spring Food Pantry absorbed Knox County Gleaners and made it a program within the pantry. Because of the transition, our work was slowed and we did not glean as many farms as we would have liked. We hope to grow the program over the coming years with the support of the community and local farms!
| Year | Harvested | Servings | Value | Farms | Locations | Volunteers | Volunteer Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 8,354 | 6,961 | $13,951 | 5 | 8 | 15 | 153 |
| 2020 | 19,208 | 76,112 | $31,777 | 11 | 18 | 12 | 377 |
| 2021 | 22,183 | 88,732 | $37,045 | 17 | 22 | 16 | 604 |
| 2022 | 23,155 | 92,388 | $38,437 | 18 | 22 | 17 | 676 |
| 2023 | 8,535 | 34,140 | $14,167 | 14 | 16 | 20 | 575 |
| 2024 | 4,892 | 19,928 | $8,170 | 9 | 11 | 40 | 321 |
Our Partners:
We collaborate with very generous farms, orchards and growers in Knox County and beyond!
Learn more about our partners:
- 3 Duck Farm, Warren
- Belfast Correctional Facility, Belfast
- Brae Maple Farm, Union
- Buldoc Correctional Facility, Warren
- Crystal Lake Farm & Nursery, Washington
- Dooryard Farm, Camden
Are you a Farm or Restaurant that would like to partner with the Knox County Gleaners?
Contact Us today to help reduce food waste and feed your community at the same time!
You don’t need to be a farm or large business to work with The Gleaners though.
We’ve raked blueberries, cut rhubarb, harvested apples, as well as picked other fruits and veggies from many home gardens.
If you’d like the Knox County Gleaners to come rescue your surplus food, please reach out today.
