Volunteers Glean Potatoes in Rural Laurel

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(LAUREL, Del) – Local groups are partnering with Delaware farms to help fight food insecurity.

The Society of St. Andrew, along with a few dedicated volunteers are combing over this tilled field with the goal of taking potatoes missed by the farm, as part of a potato gleaning.

And making sure dozens of pounds are going to local food banks.

St. Andrew Program Coordinator, Alena Wright tells WMDT, “It is no small potato to hungry families, that’s for sure…. So a 5 pound bag You know we were able to feed. What is that, 80 families or something. If everyone got a 5 pound potato, some pantries would just give each for each family a handful of potatoes. But still, potatoes are such an excellent staple.”

We caught up with Travis Hastings who owns Lakeside Farms out in the field about the gleaning.

The harvesting might be wrapping up, and absolutely nothing is going to waste.

“I mean, every crop that we grow, you leave a little bit left in the, in the field and, you know, you always feel bad that it doesn’t, get used and, and it’s sort of going to waste. So, you know, it’s a good thing. We’re happy to help,” says Travis.

Quite a few volunteers joined us out in the field to get their hands dirty and pull some potatoes from the ground…

Understanding that even the smallest potatoes are still worth putting on people’s plates.

Jordan Rosario of Laurel says, “I think food waste is a really big problem here in this country. It hasn’t really been something that it’s been talked about a whole lot, but we’re not really doing anything to, to change it. And so understanding that all this, we’re doing our best, making sure it doesn’t go to waste is very important.”