At this time of year it can seem as if there is bounty everywhere you turn. Gardens are bursting with fresh vegetables, neighbours are hiding zucchini in your car, and there are ripe blackberries around every corner.

Galiano is also lucky to have some orchards, including some with heirloom varieties that are hard to find in commercial cultivation. In addition, many of our residential plots have a well- established fruit tree or two.

In this busy season, it can be challenging to eat or preserve every apple on your tree or squash in your garden. Did you know that one-third of the food produced worldwide is wasted (according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization)?

One way the Food Program works to ensure that this abundance reaches people who might benefit from it is The Gleaning Program. We organize people to gather together to pick surplus crops that are shared between the pickers, the landowners, the Food Bank and the Food Program’s kitchen events. We bring orchard ladders and picking bags and try to gather as much as possible. In 2013, we harvested apples, pears, quinces, plums, crab apples, figs, and grapes.