First impressions with the Boston Area Gleaners

Luis Marentes, Volunteer

After almost thirty years in MetroWest Boston, I first heard about the Gleaners this past July at the Maynard Farmers’ Market, where Jalila, the Gleaners’ Communications and Outreach Coordinator, was representing them. Before meeting her, I had never even heard the word “gleaner”. I was attracted to the idea of rescuing and distributing food that would otherwise be wasted. In the last few years, I have become more conscious about food waste and the great inequities in access to nutritious and fresh food in our surrounding communities. The Boston Area Gleaners offered me a great opportunity to actually visit and work at local farms to gather fruits and vegetables for distribution to local communities who lack access to such produce. Less than two weeks after learning about the Gleaners, I had signed up for a volunteer shift, and since then, my life has been enriched by an organization that enchanted me from the first encounter.

My first volunteer shift was at Stonefield Farm, the Gleaners’ headquarters. Stonefield Farm is located within minutes of the South Acton train station and the Grain Mill, which I regularly visit. Hidden behind the trees and the Fort Pond Brook Reservation, emerged the gorgeous farm with planted fields, a farm house, and greenhouses.

Upon arrival, volunteers gathered around a picnic table under the shade. Just behind the bucolic farm, past rows of greenhouses and other high tunnels, a row of refrigerated warehouses and offices surround a significant fleet of trucks, showing the efficiency and reach of a sophisticated distribution systems.

My first few experiences as a volunteer were not necessarily “gleaning”, as I had imagined. We were not in the fields picking up the leftover produce. We were actually packing produce - eggplants, lettuce and callaloo - that had been harvested at  Stonefield Farm for the very purpose of distributing to their food access partners. Then, we sorted through boxes of beautiful Georgia tomatoes, picking out the few rotting fruits and keeping the rest. Similarly, we went through packaged asparagus, blueberries, plums and cantaloupes. Gleaning in this sense was not just harvesting the leftovers, but intervening in the distribution chain, before nutritious and beautiful produce went to waste. The food we could not distribute we composted, harnessing its nutrients for future plantings at Stonefield Farm rather than incinerating. I also realized that much of the composted produce wasn’t necessarily the result of carelessness or privilege, the Gleaners were also responding to an on-going problem of logistics in food storage and distribution.

One unique thing about the Gleaners is that their volunteer opportunities do not necessarily follow a set schedule. When I registered as a volunteer on the Gleaners’ website, I was asked if I was willing to be put on a list to be contacted about last minute volunteer opportunities, and now I know why. While other organizations tend to operate on a set schedule—like Open Table, another local food access organization I volunteer with —new opportunities at the Gleaners emerge constantly as fields become ready for gleaning.

It is hard for me to explain the feeling of gleaning in eastern and central Massachusetts. Beyond the privilege of volunteering to feed our neighbors with nutritious, fresh foods, the very opportunity to spend time in some of Massachusetts most beautiful landscapes is something hard to describe. Traveling to new farms has introduced me to rural roads and town centers I had never visited. I have also had the chance to stand in fields I had driven by over the years. Beyond the extraordinary surrounding environments, we also get to participate in a Zen-ish practice as we harvest in the middle of fertile fields. The sounds, smells and textures teach us where our food comes from and how it is grown and harvested. For example, I’ve learned that only one, or perhaps two, ears of corn grow from each tall stalk, and that we harvest broccoli heads with a small knife, and some onions easily pull out from the ground. I was also impressed to learn about the curing of garlic and onions, another form of preservation, an alternative to refrigeration that I had never even considered.

Getting a glimpse of the agricultural practices is something I’ve appreciated every day. Learning and practicing the craft that many call “unskilled labor” has been both inspiring and humbling. I’ve also been rewarded by the opportunity to meet fellow volunteer gleaners of varying ages, professions, origins and towns of residence, all coming together to collaborate and share in a larger project. I am glad to be part of the Boston Area Gleaners community.

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