National Gleaning Project

GLEANING is an ancient practice described in the Bible that allows the collection of unharvested crops for distribution to needy populations. The practice continues today, and given the increasing attention focused on food waste, the movement is growing. Traditionally, gleaning is thought of as picking fruit and vegetable crops in fields and orchards. Today, there are also many organizations that practice food recovery by collecting and distributing unused food from retail outlets like grocery stores and farmers markets, restaurants, and events.

THE NATIONAL GLEANING PROJECT was created in response to the need for a national network connecting modern field gleaning and food recovery organizations across the United States. The National Gleaning Project also provides access to related law and policy resources and samples of waivers, handbooks, and other documents to help support the work of these organizations.