Gleaning Team Leader Checklist

Edited by Frank Wertheim and Lynne Holland.

Adapted with permission from Merrymeeting Gleaners/Merrymeeting Food Council and other UMaine Extension Harvest for Hunger gleaning groups.

Through the University of Maine Extension Master Gardener Volunteers in the Maine Harvest for Hunger program, gleaning has been done in varied ways throughout the state. This is a list of “best practices,” based on a compilation of lists used by those groups. Each gleaning group finds its rhythm based on the resources available and the skills of its volunteers. This list is an accounting of those resources and then aligning the process to make the glean efficient and effective.

Before the Glean

• Receive/Create a list of gleaners, recipients, and any other instructions from the Gleaning Coordinator or Distribution Coordinator
  • Team leader/member will also be given this list of gleaners with phone numbers in case it is needed on the day of gleaning.
  • The Coordinator will connect with you before gleaning about when and where to pick up boxes/crates and can help you connect with a local food pantry or distribution site.
• Make arrangements ahead of time for your gleaning kit to include items such as bottled water, a scale, and food-safe harvest boxes/crates for gleaners to use.
• Arrive on time at the designated spot at the farm.  
• Arrange to meet briefly with the farmer before you glean and note instructions on where and what to glean that day.
  • Mark rows to guide volunteers to show the right rows on the farm.
  • Give instructions to gleaners about where, what, and how much to glean based on the list of recipients.
  • Make sure all gleaners have appropriate equipment (i.e., gloves, shears, knives, boxes/crates, etc.). 
  • Best Practices
    • If a gleaner does not show up when they commit, check in with them afterward and diplomatically let them know the importance of communicating that you are expecting them and the impact if they don’t arrive.
    • Have paper copies as well as digital copies of the papers associated with the organization’s gleaning program as part of the team leader kit.
    • A best practice if new gleaners show up (i.e., someone brings a friend) would be to have them read and sign any paperwork associated with the organization’s gleaning program before they glean.

During the Glean

• Take a few photos or assign a team member to do this.
  • Have volunteer photo releases
  • Abide by the photo/media guidelines for the host organization 
  • Photos can be used for social media and future PR situations
• Harvest only in the area that the farmer has instructed your gleaning team leader. 
• Record the gleaned food
  • Weigh the produce by type, and write it down.  
  • If using cardboard boxes, round down to the nearest whole number to account for the weight of the box.  
  • If using food-safe crates, weigh an empty crate first and subtract that from the weight of each full crate. 
  • It is okay to weigh a few boxes/crates and get an average, and then estimate the rest if they all have the same produce.  
  • If you are not sure, then weigh every box.
• Determine which gleaners can help with deliveries and divide up the boxes accordingly. Make sure everyone has addresses for where they are delivering, and your cell phone number in case there are problems. 
• You may wish to make arrangements for a food pantry to meet the gleaners in the field if that food pantry has transportation, saving volunteers that extra step of the delivery.
• When distributing the produce to recipients or recipient sites, take into account the needs of the local food pantry and what they can effectively store and distribute, and match to their recipients’ preferences

After the Glean

• Let the farmer know you have finished.
• Thank your crew.
• Email or record all of the data on the glean. Include the following:
  • Names of gleaners and the number of hours spent gleaning and delivering 
  • Total weight gleaned. 
  • Where produce was distributed, i.e., food pantries, meal sites, senior affordable housing complexes, etc.

Edited by Frank Wertheim and Lynne Holland.

Adapted with permission from Merrymeeting Gleaners/Merrymeeting Food Council and other UMaine Extension Harvest for Hunger gleaning groups.