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One of the Gleaners’ most popular programs is our Apprenticeship Program! This will be our 5th year of the Apprenticeship Program – we’ve had many incredible apprentices through the years, who have gone on to do amazing things across the world. We’re thrilled to be able to share about their experience with the Apprenticeship Program, as well as where they are now! Sam Balka - Apprentice, 2019
3. What are you up to now? What’s next? After the Gleaners I graduated from school and moved out to rural Utah, down by Capitol Reef National Park, to work as a wilderness therapy field guide at Legacy Outdoor Adventures/Juniper Canyon Treatment Center. Instead of thinking about nourishing crops, I think about how to nourish struggling adult humans, always counting on the healing powers of nature and adventure (similar to why our volunteers love to come get dirty!). I also began guiding different types of rites of passage ceremonies for my clients, as well as for a group of queer youth out in CO. I feel passionately about the power of ceremony and the midwifery of initiating humans into our society. What’s next for me? Great question… but you can certainly count on finding me outside. Annika Rowland - Apprentice, 2020
2. How did your apprenticeship impact you most? What did you take away from your apprenticeship? The apprenticeship impacted me by leading me to a new way of viewing the world and what could be possible if we slowly start to change the way industrial food systems operate. Local food hubs are possible, as BAG is illustrating with their work this year. The work takes people who have first-hand experience and are committed to the bigger picture, while being stewards of the land and acknowledging their own privilege within the system. Lots of big thoughts and ideas were taken away from those few essential months, which have played a huge role in leading me to where I am today. 3. What are you up to now? What’s next? I started a graduate program at Cornell University in Soil and Crop Sciences in June of 2021. I am researching ecological management of weeds in minimal tillage cropping systems, with a focus on integrating cultural and physical weed management practices. The goal of this research is to work with farmers who are adopting minimal tillage practices and advise them how they may manage weeds without using earth harming herbicides or additional cultivation. I am having a great time exploring the finger lake region of upstate New York and getting to know lots of inspiring people and farmers in the area! Mauri Trimmer - Apprentice, 2020
2. How did your apprenticeship impact you most? What did you take away from your apprenticeship? The value of physical work especially alongside friends and good company. Always bringing your passion and A game— knowing that a few minutes spent laughing till your stomach hurts is never a waste and the harvest will go on. The knowledge and drive to intervene in broken food systems, putting my energy and time into getting GOOD food to the folx who it will impact most. 3. What are you up to now? What’s next? I am currently one of two paid employees on a small 1.75 acre organic polyculture farm in Southern California. We rely on volunteer labor to prepare the soil, plant, harvest, and work on the infinite projects which arise. All that we harvest goes to feed low income seniors in the county, whether at Senior Centers or congregate meal sites. We are lucky to have an excellent team of steady recurring volunteers as well as a stream of folx who show up for a morning or two completing community service requirements. Everyone finds something they like to do, whether weeding pernicious plants out of our seedlings, building and maintaining fences, watering in new seeds, or harvesting fresh greens. At the peak of our summer harvest we were pulling 2000 pounds of produce out of our rows every week! We just got a new greenhouse to more easily propagate seedlings as well as extending our growing season for hot weather crops. If you ever find yourself in southern California, roll through for a visit (Senior Nutrition Garden in Oxnard, CA by the Food Share warehouses)! Ana Hurka-Robles - Apprentice, 2021
2. How did your apprenticeship impact you most? What did you take away from your apprenticeship? The Gleaners apprenticeship gave me a foundational understanding of the economics of agriculture, land use, and food distribution. This foundation has allowed me to think critically about the issues of food production and distribution that I hear about in the news, and that I see enacted in restaurants, grocery stores, and food pantries. I've continued to educate myself by reading books and watching documentaries about what is just and unjust in the global food system. I particularly loved the documentary Sunú, which is about maize farming in Mexico and how globalization and GMOs have affected production, and the book People's Green New Deal, which I read with some of my old Gleaner friends! 3. What are you up to now? What’s next? I am currently working at the Central Square Branch of the Cambridge Public Library. I consider this a continuation of my work at the Gleaners - the common thread is making free resources accessible to the public. I was also recently admitted into UMass Boston's Sociology PhD program, and I will be a part of their Fall 2022 student cohort. I plan to focus on contemporary issues of labor, alienation, and solidarity. To stay connected about our Apprenticeship Program, check out the Apprenticeship section of our website, and follow us on social media! The applications for the 2022 Apprenticeship Program are now open, and can be found on the Apprenticeship page.
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