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Gleaning Activities
When a producer calls us to express a need or interest, our team takes charge of the entire organization of the activity. Our bank of volunteer pickers are informed by email of the activity and can register. Participants are accompanied and supervised by the project agent during the outings. Occasionally, and with the agreement of the producer, outings are organized with groups of people far from the job market and/or in a situation of food insecurity (e.g. single-parent families, immigrant families, low-income families, students and/or single people). Specialized workers accompany these groups.
At the end of the activity, the goods are distributed as follows:
Field chore activities
During these activities, we will lend a hand to the farms that generously donate a portion of their harvests for food security during the gleaning season. It is also an opportunity for volunteers to learn more about growing methods through more in-depth discussions with the market gardening team.
Processing activities
Following the gleaning activity, a processing activity may be necessary for the portion intended for food security organizations. These activities are organized in a kitchen at one of our partners with either volunteers or groups of people far from the job market and/or in a situation of food insecurity. During this activity, the surplus collected is pre-processed (washed, cut, packaged) by the participants before being distributed to the organizations.
An agricultural producer who sometimes lack the time, energy or labor to harvest all of your production? Do you sometimes have category 2 fruits and vegetables that you would like to see valued by people in need?
Contact us to express your interest and plan the gleaning periods according to your availability and your harvests. We prefer to receive your call at least 5 to 7 days in advance but do not hesitate to call us anyway if this deadline is not possible and we will do our best to honor your donation and come collect the food before it is too late.
Organization of Activities : We take care of everything! We take care of the organization from harvest to distribution. From the mobilization of participants to the logistics of transport, we ensure that the process is smooth, supervised, safe and hassle-free for you.
You can register via this short form: Registration form for farmers.
You can contact us at 873-552-1995 or at: [email protected].
A volunteer and would like to take part in this project?
Sign up by filling out the form at the link below to receive information about our next collections. They are also announced on our Facebook page. When a gleaning or chore activity is organized, you will receive a message by email. If you wish to participate in the activity, you can write to us to let us know by replying to the email. A 2nd message will be sent to confirmed people with the details of the activity.
You can contact us at 873-552-1995 or at: [email protected].
Register via this form.
Stay informed about our activities via our Facebook page.
“Together to use agricultural surpluses, reduce food insecurity and promote social inclusion!”
Your participation is essential for the success of this project. Together, we can make a real difference! If you would like to learn more or discuss your participation, please do not hesitate to contact us via the forms or contact information above.
We would love to partner with you this year and continue to build a more supportive and resilient community.
To compensate for the lack of supply of fruits and vegetables to organizations working in food security and people in food insecurity, the idea of harvesting agricultural surpluses in the fields (via the gleaning, processing and social inclusion component) emerged in 2021.
Launched in the summer of 2022, the “Glanage, transformation et inclusion sociale” project is a unique unifying project for harvesting surplus fruits and vegetables in agricultural fields with a social inclusion component in Estrie.
Our Gleaning initiative is in its 3rd season.
This is a practice that has been growing rapidly in Quebec for several years. It aims to reduce food waste by recovering fruits and vegetables that would otherwise be left in the fields for various reasons: lack of labor, poor weather conditions, surplus crops and/or formats that are not suitable for sale in stores.
In addition, gleaning allows participants to significantly/completely reduce the price of fresh fruits and vegetables compared to those in the grocery store.
Our initiative helps producers with agricultural tasks and recovers and enhances existing products that are currently unharvested in a territory covering five Estrienne MRCs: Val Saint-François, Haut Saint-François, Sherbrooke, Memphrémagog and Coaticook. It also provides an in-kind work experience to people in socially and financially precarious situations.
This is a Collective project formed by a decision-making committee that is composed of the following partners: the collective kitchens Le Blé d'or, the Table de quartier Quatre-saisons, La Grande Table, the Auberge la Source-Soleil, the general coordinator of Champ d'actions and the Agente de Glanage. The project trustee has been La Grande Table since April 1, 2024.
The organizations are all involved in bringing the project to life at different levels, they are mobilized and are committed to ensuring that this project continues. The project has considerable social impacts on the territory.
The project was financed for the first 3 seasons by measure 11 of PAGIEPS.
Reduction of food waste: by promoting agricultural surpluses, local resources are optimized.
Collaboration and Social Inclusion: By fostering collaboration between producers, volunteers and local organizations, the project strengthens community ties. It promotes social inclusion through gleaning and processing surpluses, while educating on agricultural practices, food provenance and nutrition.
Pooling of resources and synergy: the sharing of spaces, kitchens and resources is one of the central keys that brings the project to life and allows for greater synergy, supporting the social and solidarity economy.
Improving food safety: By providing local fruits and vegetables to food security organizations, the project improves food security for vulnerable populations and strengthens the social fabric of the region.
For this first season, these are:
Farms
Here are some of our participating farms:
Social inclusion and food security organizations are involved in various ways to bring this project to life:
Here are the transformations that we carried out in 2022 and 2023 (*please note that our transformations depend on what we pick and therefore vary according to the surplus offered by the producers):
Here are the varieties we picked in 2022 and 2023 (*please note that what we pick depends on the needs of the producers and is therefore likely to change from year to year):
+ Eggs
“The gleaning project is an immersive experience in the agricultural world for urban people, with all the beauty and connection to nature that this implies! » – Catherine Dallaire, horticultural facilitator for REVE Nourricier assigned to this project
“It is above all a way of entering into symbiosis with food, from another perspective: being able to harvest, cook and savor the fruit of your harvest! » – Pamela Bilodeau, food security development agent for the Sherbrooke Community Development Initiative (ISDC) assigned to the 4 Seasons Neighborhood Table (TQ4S)
“Gleaning is a connected project, which responds to all kinds of issues. It is definitely a circular project, which meets collective needs and highlights the strengths of each employee!” – Gabrielle Rondeau-Leclaire, general director and co-founder of REVE Nourricier
“We proudly hosted the project, 3 times in the summer, and we loved the exchange, as well as the educational context. Food is a primary/vital need. It is a way to transform humans. In addition to the helping hand we received, we are happy to experience and share this abundance of vegetables during the summer. The gleaning helped develop gratitude for many participants. Self-sacrifice marked this season!” – Catherine Audet, Ferme La clef des champs de St Camille
“This project not only provides an experience in the fields to people who do not have the opportunity, but also helps farmers to add value to their harvests, and to offer them to people in the need. Entreprendre Sherbrooke played a structuring role in the development of this collective project. Building on this first edition, we are proud to have made this great example of solidarity a reality” – Anne-Catherine Pilon, project manager for Champ d’actions
“Many young people appreciated the project and the human relationships!” – Carole-Ann, speaker at Auberge du coeur La Source-Soleil
“Mobilizing different people and families, uniting them and allowing them to move towards a return to the land was so inspiring. An outlet, a valve of rejuvenation, this project is a transformative human experience! » –Clothilde Stamm, community worker at La Grande Table
Mention of the Champ d'actions gleaning in a column on Radio-Canada radio (September 2023)
Interview by Anne-Catherine Pilon on Radio-Canada radio (July 2023)
Report from Noovo (end of the 2022 season)
Article Entreprendre Sherbrooke (end of the 2022 season)
Article in Free entry (end of 2022 season)
Article in the Tribune (project announcement – spring 2022)
ICI Info interview (project announcement – spring 2022)
Article Agriculture Sherbrooke (project announcement – spring 2022)
Joëlle Latour
Coordinator Field of actions | Sherbrooke Food Safety Collective
Andrée-Anne Tremblay
Community organizer, Integrated University Health and Social Services Center of Estrie – Sherbrooke University Hospital Center
for Field of actions | Sherbrooke Food Safety Collective
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