Thanks to farmers across Cornwall, teams of volunteers have been out in all weathers, cutting and filling crates with surplus veg throughout the winter. But where does that veg go and what impact does it have?
The image of soup kitchens for the homeless is much outdated. For many low income families, this is the new norm. From the handful of organisations scattered across the county, this has now grown at a frightening rate. With Gleaning Cornwall now in contact with over 50 organisations across the county and demand now also coming from as far away as Plymouth, we offer free fresh produce to feed those in need. The divide between rich and poor has never been wider! Through figures provided by these organisations, it is estimated that our produce contributes to feeding over 15,000 people each week.
Gleaning Cornwall endeavours to get fresh local produce to as many of these people as possible thorough our growing network of volunteers across the county. Right now we are in what is traditionally known as the farming famine season. Last year’s crops are mostly over, fields are being ploughed and new crops sown. But a few of our more hardy veg are still in the fields and our fantastic volunteers have braved the mud and the weather, filling hundreds of crates with food that would otherwise be ploughed back into the ground. This March alone they have gleaned 5 tonnes of potatoes, 327 crates of cauliflower, 109 crates of cabbages, 211 crates of spring greens and 60 sacks of leeks. Our volunteer drivers have distributed this huge haul of veg out across the county, benefiting people from Penzance up to Bude, from Plymouth down to the Lizard and from, Newquay across to St Austell.
The stark reality of food poverty in our county