In 2018, Society of St. Andrew goes into high gear in Indiana! SoSA has gleaned in the state in the past, but now we will make a significantly larger impact on the fresh produce available through food banks and food pantries across the Hoosier State.

Dawn Barnes is the director of the new Indiana office. She is a clergy member of the Disciples of Christ and has spent 12 years doing development work in Africa.

In the first year, we expect to glean about one million pounds of produce from Indiana farm fields. All that food will be distributed by area food banks and food pantries to feed the state’s most vulnerable residents.

In January, we opened the new Indiana office, directed by The Rev. Dawn Barnes, and housed at Abundant Harvest United Methodist Church in Indianapolis. The organization is currently looking for a program coordinator who will work with the farmers, volunteers, and agencies to coordinate hundreds of events across the state during the year.

In addition, the office will employ several seasonal gleaning coordinators in various parts of the state. These coordinators will go into the fields with the volunteers to pick the surplus crops.

More than 900,000 Indiana resident sometimes don’t know where their next meal will come from, and one-third of those residents are children. Through this gleaning and surplus food collection, Indiana farmers and volunteers will provide fresh and nutritious food to supplement their diets.