Food for the hungry
Advent Church Gleaners at work in the community
What happens to the delicious vegetables that are blemished or unsellable at the Agricenter Farmers Market? Gleaning is a story of the generosity of vendors, appreciation of the recipients and cooperation of the volunteers who make it happen.
One of the groups of gleaners that help to regularly pick up the produce and deliver it to the designated users is a group of men from Advent Presbyterian Church at 1879 N. Germantown Pkwy. They deliver the excess produce to Neighborhood Christian Center, Shepherd’s Haven Day Center and The Neighborhood School.
Dana Bates, a house parent for Shepherd’s Haven said, “We have become quite creative in ways to use zucchini and squash to make bread and relishes. Nothing goes to waste. Overripe vegetables can often be puréed and added to spaghetti and other dishes. If it cannot be used on the table, we feed it to our chickens. We are so thankful for the farmers who generously share these blessings and for the gentlemen who deliver it to our door.”
Advent is one of the several organizations that support The Society of St. Andrew, a national nonprofit hunger-relief ministry that rescues 30-35 million pounds of fresh, nutritious, excess produce each year that would otherwise go to waste. This food is then distributed to critical feeding agencies across the country at no cost to the agencies or the hungry people they serve.
In Shelby County, 276,790 pounds of food have been distributed from 2010 through June of 2013.
Deuteronomy 15 states: Since there will never cease to be some in need on the Earth, I therefore command, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.’ Carolyn Moss is with Advent Presbyterian Church.