BRINGING FARM SURPLUS
TO HUNGRY PEOPLE

No good food should go to waste!

OUR MISSION

To ensure healthy, nutritious, fresh produce is available free of charge to as many as possible experiencing food insecurity across Cornwall and West Devon and to reduce on farm and other food waste.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are going to waste. Thousands of hungry people in Cornwall are in need of nourishing, healthy food.

Gleaning Cornwall works to reduce farm waste, rescuing produce so it ends up on hungry peoples’ tables, instead of in a landfill or rotting in the field. But, we don’t do it alone. Thanks to our dedicated team of volunteers, growers and financial donors, Gleaning Cornwall, brings apples, squash, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, cabbages and many other kinds of healthy fruits and vegetables, completely free of charge, to organisations feeding our hungry Cornish families.

This waste is not the fault of the farmers but is a result of:

  • having great growing conditions, so there is surplus.
  • Crops grow at different rates and with the cost of labour being high, it is sometimes not economically viable to harvest a crop more than once or twice.
  • Farmers need to slightly over produce to ensure they have enough for their contracts.
  • Crops may be slightly too big, too small, the wrong shape or colour.
  • Market conditions change.

Together, we can do more. There are many ways to get involved, working together we can continue to rescue hundreds of tonnes of healthy food for hungry people…

Courgette glean

Currently delivering to more than 80 locations in the county, 22 of which are faith organisations, 11 are Trussell Trust food banks, 11 are community ladders, 4 community fridges and 34 other organisations plus around 30 organisations who receive our produce indirectly.

Through figures provided by these organisations, it is estimated that our produce contributes to feeding over 12,000 people each week! 

We also glean other produce, eg, coffee, biscuits, eggs and cream that can’t be sold but are perfectly good.

A lot of our winter veg such as brassicas are grown in Cornwall. Our fantastic volunteers brave the mud and the weather, filling hundreds of crates each week with food that would otherwise be ploughed back into the ground.

By reducing food waste, gleaning also reduces associated greenhouse gasses. If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitting country, after China and the US, in the world!

OUR NETWORK

OUR TEAM

Holly Whitelaw
Holly Whitelaw

Founder Fundraiser & Manager

“Gleaning makes sense, has taught me a great deal and is such fun. The team and volunteers are awesome and I will do all I can to keep us going.”

Teresa Logistics
Teresa Thorne

Distribution and logistics

“For me, Gleaning Cornwall is about communities coming together for the good of all. My background is in community work and I believe society is only as good as its weakest member.”

Jeni, coordinator, social media manager
Jeni Duncan

Key Coordinator & Social Media Manager

“I’ve come to gleaning from the colourful and diverse world of festivals, where flexibility & thinking on your feet are essential skills due to ever changing situations . Gleaning is much the same vibe, seeing an opportunity to rescue good quality waste food, actioning a team, and getting it out quickly to those in need. Simple and effective.”

Volunteer coordinator holding parsnips
Karen Ross

Mid Cornwall Volunteer Coordinator

“I joined the gleaning network team as a volunteer because I wanted to help, in a practical way, move produce from field to fork. My background is in education and working with young people.”

Katie Smith, south east coordinator
Katie Smith

South East Cornwall Co-ordinator

“I love gleaning as it’s such a great way of reducing food waste and delivering it to the people who need it most, whilst meeting new people and bringing communities together. I mean what’s not to love! When not gleaning I’m growing small scale organic vegetables for a local veg box scheme!”

Rebecca Morton Clarck, Falmouth Co-ordinator
Rebecca Morton Clark

Falmouth Co-ordinator

“I am proud to be part of the Gleaning Network. Locally sourced, fresh produce should be accessible to everyone. My day job is as the grower on a market garden but I have also worked as a cook.”

Sarah Carpenter, North Cornwall Co-ordinator
Sarah Carpenter

North Cornwall Co-ordinator

“A good friend led me to find out more about gleaning as they thought it was right up my street. They were right. It’s an honour to be a part of the team. I run my own veg box scheme, in between homeschooling my children.”

Roz & Jane, coordinators St Newlyn East
Roz and Jane

St Newlyn East Volunteer Coordinators

“We love organising gleans as it’s great to see a group of like minded people in a field saving food from waste. and it going off to foodbanks and other food distributors. So we are not only saving food but helping others. It gives you a really good feeling being in the field, in the fresh air helping others.”

OUR PHOTOS

@gleaningcornwallnetwork
Gleaning Cornwall

@gleaningcornwallnetwork

Donating farm surplus, tackling food insecurity across Cornwall and West Devon
  • #lovevolunteering #foodwastewarriors #gleaningsforthehungry #community #cabbage #nutrition #family #mothersanddaughters #inthefields #freshveggies
  • Halloween is done for 2024, webs are dusted and perfect pumpkins have been carved….. but what happens to all those spectacular squashes that are unused?? 🎃🤔well #splattenriddenfarm kindly donated their access pumpkins to us, we gleaned and cleaned them then sent them off around the county to be used in lovely nutritious meals😜#thankyou #cornishfarmers #communityfirst #foodwasteprevention #gleaning #cornwall#nutrition #foodmilesmatter #volunteersneeded #grattitude
  • Just a couple of days in the fields of Cornwall harvesting Butternut squash and broccoli. We’re so grateful to our farming community for donating these versatile veggies for us to distribute across the county.  With squash season upon us I wonder who may have some surplus that we could glean?#riviera.produce#farminglife #community #feedingthehungry #surplusfood #foodwasteprevention #pumpkinseason #volunteerlife #grattitude
  • 🌍world food day today🌍lets raise awareness for those who have little or no food… at Gleaning Cornwall we are working with local farmers. We’re  picking up after the main harvest and distributing good healthy produce to food charities across our Cornish county#worldfoodday #povertyawareness #farmingcornwall #gleaning #freshfood #healthyfood #volunteers
#lovevolunteering #foodwastewarriors #gleaningsforthehungry #community #cabbage #nutrition #family #mothersanddaughters #inthefields #freshveggies
#lovevolunteering #foodwastewarriors #gleaningsforthehungry #community #cabbage #nutrition #family #mothersanddaughters #inthefields #freshveggies
#lovevolunteering #foodwastewarriors #gleaningsforthehungry #community #cabbage #nutrition #family #mothersanddaughters #inthefields #freshveggies
#lovevolunteering #foodwastewarriors #gleaningsforthehungry #community #cabbage #nutrition #family #mothersanddaughters #inthefields #freshveggies
#lovevolunteering #foodwastewarriors #gleaningsforthehungry #community #cabbage #nutrition #family #mothersanddaughters #inthefields #freshveggies
12 hours ago
View on Instagram |
1/4
Halloween is done for 2024, webs are dusted and perfect pumpkins have been carved….. but what happens to all those spectacular squashes that are unused?? 🎃🤔well #splattenriddenfarm kindly donated their access pumpkins to us, we gleaned and cleaned them then sent them off around the county to be used in lovely nutritious meals😜#thankyou #cornishfarmers #communityfirst #foodwasteprevention #gleaning #cornwall#nutrition #foodmilesmatter #volunteersneeded #grattitude
1 week ago
View on Instagram |
2/4
Just a couple of days in the fields of Cornwall harvesting Butternut squash and broccoli. We’re so grateful to our farming community for donating these versatile veggies for us to distribute across the county.  With squash season upon us I wonder who may have some surplus that we could glean?#riviera.produce#farminglife #community #feedingthehungry #surplusfood #foodwasteprevention #pumpkinseason #volunteerlife #grattitude
Just a couple of days in the fields of Cornwall harvesting Butternut squash and broccoli. We’re so grateful to our farming community for donating these versatile veggies for us to distribute across the county.  With squash season upon us I wonder who may have some surplus that we could glean?#riviera.produce#farminglife #community #feedingthehungry #surplusfood #foodwasteprevention #pumpkinseason #volunteerlife #grattitude
Just a couple of days in the fields of Cornwall harvesting Butternut squash and broccoli. We’re so grateful to our farming community for donating these versatile veggies for us to distribute across the county.  With squash season upon us I wonder who may have some surplus that we could glean?#riviera.produce#farminglife #community #feedingthehungry #surplusfood #foodwasteprevention #pumpkinseason #volunteerlife #grattitude
Just a couple of days in the fields of Cornwall harvesting Butternut squash and broccoli. We’re so grateful to our farming community for donating these versatile veggies for us to distribute across the county. With squash season upon us I wonder who may have some surplus that we could glean?#riviera.produce#farminglife #community #feedingthehungry #surplusfood #foodwasteprevention #pumpkinseason #volunteerlife #grattitude
3 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
3/4
🌍world food day today🌍lets raise awareness for those who have little or no food… at Gleaning Cornwall we are working with local farmers. We’re picking up after the main harvest and distributing good healthy produce to food charities across our Cornish county#worldfoodday #povertyawareness #farmingcornwall #gleaning #freshfood #healthyfood #volunteers
4 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
4/4

We appreciate your financial support

If you are able to give to Gleaning Cornwall at this time – thank you so much!

People give to Gleaning Cornwall in many ways and we are incredibly thankful for all the practical support, gifts of time, petrol, flapjacks, heart and energy given freely by all our volunteers. Their gifts are without numbers. We would not be able to run Gleaning Cornwall without them.

Last year we donated over 80 tonnes of veg to feed people in food poverty.

Our current needs

    One off donors, winter brings the heaviest expenses as we try to get veg out of wet, windy and muddy fields

    We are hoping to increase the number of regular monthly donors. This gives us some financial stability and helps us plan for the future

    The day-to-day costs of running Gleaning Cornwall have increased in line with rising costs of living and inflation.

Where does our funding come from?

    Funding applications

    Donations  from individuals

    Donations from organisations who appreciate the work we do

How are donations used?

    Running cost of the 2 4×4 trucks we use to get veg out of the fields

    Salaries (currently, 6 part-time gleaning coordinators)

    Millage expenses for volunteer drivers to distribute veg

    Training in First Aid, Manual Handling, Health and Hygiene, Safeguarding & trailer driving

   Insurance

   Equipment

   Promotion

 
 

 

Gleaning Cornwall runs entirely on donations. Your donation ensures local surplus produce gets to those most in need. All food is given to organisations feeding people in food insecurity, we never make any charge

Ways to Donate to Gleaning Cornwall

Paypal

You can use the Paypal donate button on this page.
Gleaning Cornwall is run under the financial umbrella of Regenerative Food and Farming Community Interest Company and whilst 100% of you donation will go to Gleaning Cornwall, Regenerative Food and Farming CIC administer this on our behalf.

Through your Bank

You can  email
 gleaningcornwall@gmail.com  and we can send you bank  details of where to set up payments

ONE OFF OR MONTHLY DONATIONS

We appreciate any regular giving as it helps us plan ahead and cover general costs and salaries.

Thank you for your support

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