Gleaning America's Fields ~ Feeding America's Hungry

 


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What Sets Us Apart
The Society of St. Andrew is unique among hunger relief organizations for many reasons.  In addition to supplying our society’s most vulnerable people with fresh fruits and vegetables vital for nutrition, several other important factors that set us apart are listed below.

  • Unlike many organizations, the Society of St. Andrew does not charge handling fees. We provide fresh, nutritious food to critical feeding agencies serving the poor at no cost to them, which helps them stretch their already tight budgets.
     
  • We help build Christian community by bringing people together in farmers' fields or around "dumped" loads of potatoes to work collectively in the cause of helping their needy neighbors.
     
  • We recognize the spiritual component of helping others and therefore offer a variety of education programs, Bible studies, and seasonal devotions designed to feed people's spiritual hungers as they help feed the physical hunger of others.
     
  • By salvaging surplus food that in many cases otherwise would be discarded in landfills, we have a positive environmental impact.

The Society of St. Andrew adheres to Christian principles of good stewardship. Therefore, more than 90% of all funds raised by the Society of St. Andrew is spent on the direct delivery of food and services to the hungry. See our finances page for more information in this regard.

We operate across the nation! 

Food Waste in America
It is estimated that as much as fifty per cent of all food ready for harvest in the United States goes to waste.
At the farm level, where the Society of St Andrew's food salvage programs operate, some food loss occurs for many reasons.  Market forces can render it uneconomical to harvest a crop in times of overproduction.  Harvesting techniques can result in a significant proportion of a crop being left behind.  A certain percentage of every crop will not meet market standards due to size or imperfections in appearance.  Because of these factors and others, it is not uncommon for more than 20% of some of America's crops going to waste.

Huge losses also occur at the post-harvest and consumer levels of the food system in the U.S.  At these levels, much of the food waste ends up in landfills.  Altogether, studies show that up to half the food produced in America goes to waste.

 
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National Office: 3383 Sweet Hollow Road, Big Island, VA 24526                         PHONE: 800-333-4597 or 434-299-5956