Please read on as if you would like to enter our random draw in January, for some great prizes, we will need you to add a contact when donating, or message [email protected] with your name, donation and contact. Thank you. (-:  (Please ignore the Reward section on the side panel! - oops!  :-))

• WHAT IS GLEANING? - It is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers' fields or other sources of food recovery. Gleaning is mentioned in The Bible and is notably one of the first forms of social welfare systems.
• WHAT DOES GLEANING CORNWALL DO? - We harvest or just sort through and pack, surplus or out-graded (that's produce which is the wrong size or shape), fresh fruit and veg, with teams of dedicated volunteers, and distribute it, for free, to over 50 food banks, community larders and community kitchens in Cornwall and West Devon.
• WHAT IS OUR IMPACT? - Last year we saved the 50+ food charities we regularly serve, £160,000 by providing nearly 90 tonnes of fruit and veg, and spared the environment some 218 tonnes of CO2e, (green house gasses).
  
• WHY IS GLEANING CORNWALL THE BIGGEST GLEANING GROUP IN EUROPE? - We grow a lot of veg due to our mild climate and are one of the most generous, community focused parts of the UK that has a passion for the environment.
• WHY DO WE NEED YOUR MONEY? -Gleaning Cornwall has been going since 2021 as a Community Interest Company but recently, funding has been difficult to find, as there is less money around to do more with! We are therefore transitioning to charitable status, as this will open up more funding options to us, but any money you can generously give will help us bridge the funding gap in the short term.
• WHAT IS THE NEED IN CORNWALL? - Local food charities, are vitally helping to feed over 12,000 people, suffering food insecurity, each week. The cost of living crisis has not gone away and is exacerbated by the housing crisis and lower than average wages in Cornwall.   One fifth of children in Cornwall live in poverty and 13% of households here suffer food insecurity.  
• WHO ARE WE HELPING WITH FOOD? - The majority of the food we donate feeds working families and the elderly but some of our recipient organisations are feeding people who have suffered a financial shock, veterans, the homeless, people sheltering from abuse, and some recipients are either mentally &/or physically unwell.
• WHAT WILL WE DO WITH YOUR MONEY? - For each £1 we receive, we will save a local food charity £3.80 but as we are gratefully match funded, your £1 will actually save at least £7.60!  Any money you can kindly contribute will help to pay a team of amazing part-time coordinators to organise & run gleans; and to cover petrol and other transport costs; insurance and equipment.
• WHY IS THERE SO MUCH FOOD WASTED IN CORNISH FIELDS? - Most farmers have to over-produce in order to ensure they can fulfil their contracts. Because crops grow at varying rates and labour is expensive, farmers have to choose one or two optimum times to harvest, but some of the crop will have got too big or not be ready then. Occasionally also a buyer reneges on their contract or a crop may not be up to standard. 
• WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF GLEANING CORNWALL? - 

1) We help food charities that are struggling with free, healthy, fresh produce, which they often find difficult to source otherwise.

2) Coordinators and volunteers alike enjoy communal, outdoor exercise that has purpose.

3) By reducing food waste, we reduce green house gas emissions.

4) Farmers don't like waste and are happy to help their community.

5) We have all learnt a lot about where our food comes from and how to better prepare and cook local, seasonal produce.

6) We help connect food charities so they can better support each other.

7) The map on our website is used widely and helps people in crisis find, and organisations signpost others to, relevant support.                                                                                                                                

NOTE - Any help you can give will be very carefully spent.

• WHAT ARE THE BENIFITS FOR YOU? Other than feel good factor and knowing that you never know what life has in store, we have some wonderful prizes to give to a few lucky donors, who donate £5 or more! Names will be chosen at random in January, for a week's stay in beautiful holiday cottage at Cape Cornwall, artwork, jewellery, rum, an organic veg box and supporters bumper stickers!! Please therefore add contact details with your donation or email [email protected] with your name, donation amount and contact.

6 Bed holiday cottage for a week commencing 22nd Feb, worth £700. One bunk bedroom, one room with 2 singles and a king-sized bedroom, bathroom, plus a beautiful, upstairs open-plan, well equipped kitchen / dinning / living room with amazing sea views, TV & WiFi. Thank you Paul. (-:

A lovely painting by the generous Maddy Meaden who exhibits around Bude, called Two Fields. It's acrylic on cork tile, 30 x 30 CMS and with the white wooden frame it's about 45x45. Worth £120.

This lovely stretch bracelet, with medium sized stones and glass beads, worth over £30, has been kindly donated by Rebecca Coombes. See mybeadyeye.com

Plus rum sweetly donated by the wonderful Origin Coffee gang and a delicious, organic veg box from the  Keveral Farm grower dudes, plus 50 car bumper stickers to our top supporters!

Thank you so, so much.

Very warm wishes from

The Cornish Gleaners XXX                                                                        Please share!

PS- We are incredibly grateful to all the the kind farmers who support us. They not only have low prices to contend with but are also having to cope with an increasingly challenging, changing climate & a complicated new payment system, so please buy local whenever you can!