​Courtyards at Southpoint residents can step up to help fight hunger by participating in a volunteer event Wednesday, May 7, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in the clubhouse to support the Society of St. Andrew.

 

The Society of St. Andrew is a nonprofit whose motto is “Gleaning America’s fields, feeding America’s hungry.” Neighborhood volunteers will help cut, knot and sort mesh produce bags to be used in the society’s 2025 gleaning season. More than 50,000 bags will be needed this season, making the volunteer event an opportunity to do good while learning about a significant organization.   

Last year, the Society of St. Andrew gleaned more than 250,000 pounds of food from rotting in the fields and delivered it to area charities for distribution. 

 

If you would like to participate in gleaning, you can register on the society’s website to receive weekly alerts for gleaning on farms within an hour drive of Durham. No commitment is required, so join the May 7 event and make a difference.

 

Gleaning involves groups of volunteers going to area farms to pick excess crops of fresh fruits and vegetables after farmers have harvested what they need. Crops are then delivered to area food banks, soup kitchens, shelters and others in need.

 

Gleaning starts in May with blueberries and lettuce and continues through December with opportunities available to assist once or twice a week. The busiest event is the October Yam Jam, where hundreds of gleaners head to the fields each weekend to pick and bag thousands of pounds of sweet potatoes. Gleaners are welcome to take some of what they pick to support a charity of their choice.

 

Family and friends of any age can glean. You might consider bringing grandkids, since  children love this activity. If you are unable to bend over to pick up crops, bring a lawn chair and sit at the end of a row, and gleaners can bring you buckets of produce that you can put in mesh bags for distribution. If a child is old enough to play in a sandbox, they can glean.

 

A few times a year, the organization receives a large truckload of donated produce that will need to be sorted, bagged and distributed.

 

Last year, the society received 30,000 pounds of irregular shaped potatoes dropped at Carolina Friends School, where students, their families and volunteers bagged them up while charity representatives lined the driveway to load up and deliver. The society also received 40,000 pounds of apples dropped at a Legion Hall for bagging and distribution. 

 

If your church or school might be interested in hosting a crop drop, please tell Barbara Taylor, by emailing Barbara.a.taylor.nc@gmail.com or calling (919) 616-6143.