Helping Hands Gleaning Ministry

(You can click on any of the photos at this site to see the full-sized version.)

About Our Organization

Helping Hands Gleaning Ministry is a private, 501(c)3, tax exempt, hunger relief organization with an office in southern Dallas County, Texas. Utilizing a volunteer staff, and with a minimal operating budget, this ministry is dedicated to using grassroots food rescue efforts to feed the hungry.

Our 2009 gleaning schedule will begin with the middle Saturday of July through August 3 with blueberries, and start sweet potatoes on Saturdays from mid-September through mid-November. The 2009 Yam Jam will be held on Saturday, October 17th in the Emory/Alba (Texas) area.

What is Gleaning?

Gleaning is the salvaging of perishable food that would otherwise be dumped or left in the fields after harvest to rot. This food is non-marketable due to over-production, size, shape, or other imperfection, but is still edible and nutritious. Hungry people can be fed with these leftovers. Based on scriptures from the Old Testament, gleaning is a commandment from God as a method to feed the poor, widows, and orphans.

• At the 2003 gleaning, 28,600 pounds were gleaned by 266 volunteers and distributed by 16 pantries in 8 counties throughout north Texas.
• At the 2004 event, 36,700 pounds were gleaned by 312 volunteers and distributed by 17 agencies in ten counties throughout east and north Texas.
• In 2005, the statewide drought forced us to cancel all our planned sweet potato gleanings, and negatively affected the others as well.
• During 2006, we recovered 1,923,325 pounds of food using 2.037 volunteers and 1,085 agencies, and 238 donation events.
• In 2007, we managed to distribute 2,369,404 pounds of food.
  • (at about 3 servings per pound, that's 7,108,200 servings donated to people in need) using 2,000 volunteers through 1,100 agencies.
  • We gleaned or picked up food at 244 separate events during 2007.
  • We went to fields and orchards 20 times for berries and sweet potatoes, where 600 volunteers gleaned 218,000 pounds of food leftover after harvest.
  • Our biggest event during 2007 was our Big Yam Jam Day Gleaning where 212 volunteers gleaned 42,000 pounds of sweet potatos from a field near Alba.
  • Many other donations were received from local produce wholesale companies, trucking terminals, and excess at food banks.

Mission Statement

Using the helping hands of dedicated volunteers, we gather leftover food from God’s bountiful harvest and donate it to feed hungry people. Our goal is that no edible food will go to waste, but will be used to help end hunger. The purpose of Helping Hands Gleaning Ministry is to bridge the gap between the broker or grower and the person who needs food. Helping Hands Gleaning Ministry distributes the donated food to people in need through food pantries, shelters, housing authorities, senior citizens’ centers, and other agencies that feed the hungry.

Who Benefits?

• The single parent moving from welfare to work;
• The senior citizen who needs help stretching the food budget so a prescription can be purchased;
• The single mother, who with some help stretching her food budget, can provide school supplies for her child;
• The head of a household who is between jobs and needs temporary help feeding the family;
• The household where the adults are employed at low paying jobs that only provides basic necessities.

An Impressive Record of Accomplishment

...From its beginning in November 2002, through February 2003, over 60 donations of food in the amount of 408,000 pounds of food had been distributed by volunteers to approximately 50 agencies that provide food for the hungry. Through April 2003, the total became 599,000 pounds and 102 separate donation events. By June 30, 2003 that figure rose to 1,015,000 pounds of food via more than 170 donation events distributed through 40 agencies.

By the end of 2003, 2,570,000 pounds of food were salvaged and distributed through more than 45 agencies, coordinated through more than 400 events we've hosted (both field gleanings and produce house donations)... all done through the dedicated and selfless services of 3,993 volunteers.

During 2004, another 3,100,000 pounds of food were salvaged by 3,623 volunteers, serving 1579 agencies with 334 separate gleaning events or food donations.

During 2005, despite the drought which forced us to cancel our 2005 Make A Difference Day sweet potato gleaning, we still salvaged 2,353,736 pounds of food through the efforts of 2,496 volunteers, involving 1,272 agencies and pantries, with 311 separate donation or gleaning events.

During 2006, we recovered 1,923,325 pounds of food using 2.037 volunteers and 1,085 agencies, and 238 donation events.

During 2007, we handled another 2,369,404 pounds of food using 2,000 volunteers and 1,100 agencies, and 244 events.

These donors and agencies that feed the hungry are located throughout the Dallas/FortWorth Metroplex. This means millions and millions of servings of food to hungry people. This is one group where caring makes a real difference!

How Can I Help?

• Volunteers for gleaning... Volunteer and join the efforts of Helping Hands Gleaning Ministry as it seeks to fulfill God’s commandments!
• Food or cash donations... Donations are tax-deductible. We'll gladly provide a receipt for income tax purposes.
• Are you a Backyard Gardener? We can help you put a good use to the excess tomatos or fruit you can't use, or perhaps which would ripen and otherwise spoil while you're on vacation.
• Are you a farmer? ...after you've finished your harvest, please consider letting us glean for charity any leftover food items remaining in your fields! We will gladly supply you with a receipt for income tax purposes as evidence of your charitable donation.
• A major event will be our Yam Jam sweet potato gleaning, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009... Please consider helping us!
• Volunteer field supervisor

Hunger/Poverty Facts

• Twenty percent of the people in the developing world are chronically undernourished.
• Texas ranks second in the U.S. in the number of hungry people.
• Every year in the developing world, 13 million children under the age of five die of malnutrition and related preventable diseases.
• In Texas, it is estimated that 1 in 10 children under the age of 12 are hungry.
• In the United States, an estimated 30 million people cannot afford to buy enough food to maintain good health.
• The world produces enough food for everyone to have a 2,500 calorie diet a day.
• Industrial countries contain only 20% of the world’s population but consume 80% of its resources.

To see more photographs from previous seasons click here.

Helping Hands Gleaning Ministry
808 Hilltop Circle, DeSoto, TX 75115
Phone: (469) 337-2576
Email: info@hhgleaning.org

hands in action against hunger