The Columbia Gorge Gleaning Project was started in 2015 during a Ford Family Leadership Training Program in Hood River. This collaborative project covers five counties in the Columbia River Gorge in both Oregon and Washington: Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Klickitat, and Skamania.
Our Goals:
- Reduce food waste
- Provide a way for Gorge residents of all backgrounds to connect outdoors
- Increase access to fresh, local food for those in need
- Create community and solidarity across sectors, counties, and cultures to increase resiliency in our community
The Need:
1 in 3 people in the Gorge worry about running out of food, while 1 in 5 miss meals regularly. Hunger in the Gorge is epidemic and can be directly addressed by increasing access to quality, local food.
How we do it:
We collect fresh fruits and vegetables that would normally go to waste from backyard fruit trees, public and private orchards and backyard gardens. The produce we recover is donated to hunger relief groups across the Columbia Gorge region.
Why we do it:
Nearly 40% of fresh foods in the United States are wasted. 1 in 3 people in the Gorge worry about where their next meal will come from. Columbia Gorge Gleaning offers a simple solution to this problem by connecting surplus fruits and vegetables with the food insecure people in our communities.
Get Involved:
Visit GorgeGleaning.com to learn more, sign up to volunteer, or register a crop to donate.