The Gleaners Coalition exists to alleviate hunger and malnutrition while breaking down the barriers that exist between people. We provide access to fresh, locally grown produce for the low- and no-income members of our community, and will offer nutritious, low-cost meals in a safe, inviting and hospitable café shared by the entire community. Since we began in May 2005, the coalition has distributed over 10,000 pounds of locally grown organic produce to the Thurston County Food Bank, Safe Place, Food Not Bombs and The Salvation Army Community Kitchen, among others.

The Gleaners Coalition will work to expand our gleaning program in the coming year, seeking to double our harvest in 2006. The coalition is also working to open a non-profit restaurant, The Gleaners' Café. Modeled upon Sisters Of The Road, which has operated in Portland, Oregon, since 1985, the café will offer meals for about two dollars, or 15 minutes of bartered work.

The Gleaners' Café will feature gleaned, fresh local produce as is seasonally available. A principle focus of the café will be nutrition, along with the need for affordable access to fresh, organic produce. The café will also offer a worker training program in both the kitchen and dining room. Those that can afford market price for a meal will be encouraged to experience the café's menu and atmosphere, and will help fund café operations.

It is unconscionable that we live in a world with pervasive hunger. And it is baffling that Washington State, with agriculture as its largest employer and second most valuable industry, consistently ranks in the top of the nation in hunger, according to the USDA and Census Bureau. Timothy Jones, of the University of Arizona, pointed out in a recent report that nearly half of the food produced in the United States goes to waste, a significant portion of which is simply left in the fields.

The Gleaners Coalition harvests what would otherwise be left to waste. Through the coalition’Äôs gleaning program and café, The Gleaners Coalition will participate with many community partners in developing sustainable, community based food security. Our vision is the end of hunger.