In 2011, when co-founders John Galbraith and Christy Gabbard formed the New River Valley Glean Team, they had a vision: To assure that people in financial need in the New River Valley had adequate access to nutritious, affordable, and culturally appropriate food (fruits and vegetables in particular) that was going to waste on local farms. John and Christy recruited a small band of volunteers at St. Mary’s Catholic Church to “glean” surplus vegetables after harvest and that were left over from entomology student research on insect damage to plants. The produce would then be donated to local food banks and organizations serving people in need. A little of 1,000 lbs of vegetables were gleaned and distributed that first year.
In the ensuing years, the sources continued to grow with more local farms, community gardens, and farmers markets generously offering to “share their spare”. Although this approach was successful, John and his team wanted to do more. Why not find a way to provide produce throughout the growing season rather than relying only on what could be gleaned in the fall? What started with one small garden plot at the Turfgrass Research Center eventually blossomed into several garden plots on three properties. The goal of growing food in addition to gleaning was to expand the variety of vegetables available and increase the supply of needed food earlier in the season. Over time, the NRV Glean Team was able to procure more space to plant, maintain and harvest gardens dedicated to their mission. These include 0.67 acres of garden plots located at Virginia Tech’s Urban Horticulture Center and Turfgrass Research Center as well as St. Mary’s. In return for use of the gardens, the Glean Team partners with entomology researchers. The Glean Team also began partnering with the Society of St. Andrew to hold Potato Drop events, which supply nearly 40,000 lbs of purchased potatoes every November and January at the Montgomery County Christmas Store. The expansion of the NRV Glean Team and its program was well underway.
Fast forward to 2019. Under the leadership of John and founding members Dick Neves, Mike Quinn, and Mary Eyestone, the NRV Glean Team:
- Gleaned 20,342 lbs of vegetables and apples
- Grew and harvested 7,667 lbs of produce from the Glean Team’s gardens
- Delivered food to 34 different food providers serving over 10,000 families and 20,500 individuals in the New River Valley
- Provided 76,000 lbs of potatoes to 35 different food providers across SW VA and SE WV through Potato Drop events
- Partnered with Montgomery County Virginia Cooperative Extension to provide over 5 lbs of seed to Savanette and Pignon, Haiti; over 5 lbs of garden seeds to extension agents who serve the Lakota tribes in South Dakota; over 5 lbs of seeds to extension agents who serve the Hopi, Navajo, and Apache tribes in Arizona; and over 2 lbs of seeds to extension agents who serve low-income community gardeners in Detroit
- Provided, in 2020, over 4 lbs of seeds to Navajo/Hopi/Apache tribes for gardening through the pandemic
Some of the organizations served by the NRV Glean Team include:
- Interfaith Food Pantry – Blacksburg
- The Giving Tree Food Pantry – Christiansburg
- New River Community Services – Blacksburg
- New River Health Services – Christiansburg
- Montgomery County Emergency Assistance Program and New River Community Action – Christiansburg
- Warm Hearth Village – Blacksburg
- Plenty!
- The Dwelling Place Food Pantry – Christiansburg
Of course, none of this would be possible without the dedication and hard work of many volunteers and committed leadership. In 2019, 30 volunteers from various churches and organizations such as the NRV Master Gardeners logged approximately 1,550 hours and 12,031 miles growing, gleaning and delivering fresh fruits and vegetables to community organizations. Another 75 volunteers assisted to give out free potatoes at the two potato drops. It certainly takes a village!
If you are interested in helping the NRV Glean Team or have questions, we welcome you to contact John Galbraith by email – john.galbraith@vt.edu. Check them out on Facebook as well under “NRV Glean Team”.
The Glean Team is always looking to expand, as long as there is food going to waste while people are going without. If you are interested in being a possible gleaning site this year, please contact John at the email above or call 540-392-1184.
