Transforming Food Systems One Glean at a Time

 Rachel’s Table of Western Massachusetts  (RTWM) is a grassroot, volunteer-driven hunger alleviation organization that provides short and long-term solutions to hunger. They partner with 65+ agencies and networks, distributing to food-insecure communities across Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin Counties. RTWM started as the food rescue and redistribution program of the Jewish Federation of Western Mass over 30 years ago and became an independent non-profit in July 2023. RTWM addresses food insecurity holistically, operating four programs (rescue, purchase, glean, grow) that target both immediate hunger crises and root causes of hunger. Their programs provide food to people in need as well as directly support those most affected by food insecurity to plan, plant, and harvest their own food. RTWM's operations are powered by over 300 volunteers, including youth leaders who encourage their peers to educate themselves, serve others, and advocate for change. Rooted in ancient Jewish values that elucidate why food equity matters and how we can collectively honor land while making sure all members of all communities are fed and nourished, RTWM’s work bridges all faiths, backgrounds, and cultural traditions to ensure dignity, equity, and community-led solutions. 

While peoples around the world have had culturally specific ways of making sure all members of a group are fed, the style of gleaning that Rachel’s Table practices has its roots in Torah:

“Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the Lord your God.” - Leviticus 19: 9-10

Gleaning has remained an important act of social welfare for over 2,000 years. For example, in England and France the rural poor’s right to glean is legally protected (5).

Over time and around the world, changes in private property law and farming technology hampered gleaners’ rights and access. In the 1970s in the United States, non-profit organizations, community groups, religious groups, and even some states began to distribute excess produce from farms among vulnerable community members. In the 1990s, gleaning was further revived when President Clinton signed the "Good Samaritan Act,” which encouraged donation of excess food (5).

RTWM joined the gleaning movement in 2007, thanks to the seed of a vision planted by Debbie Rubenstein (Rachel’s Table’s first director from 2006 to 2018), the tending of this seed into a robust and living program by long-time and deeply committed Rachel’s Table volunteer and supporter Bea Loevy, and the fostering of relationships with local farmers by agricultural educator Jessica Harwood.

Bea’s Harvest, the Gleaning program of RTWM, has evolved over the years. While for most of its existence gleaning groups were comprised of youth from synagogues, churches, and scouts, gleaners now include a diverse array of community members:  

• Constituents/clients from RTWM’s partner agencies are invited to glean so that people who are directly impacted by food insecurity can participate in harvesting food for themselves, their families, and their communities. 
• Unique interest groups (e.g. interfaith youth groups, public health classes) glean while learning about food insecurity and issues related to developing and maintaining a robust, regenerative, and climate-adaptive local food system. 
• Open community gleans include anybody who wants to glean for donation to RTWM partner agencies or for themselves, their neighbors, and other mutual aid networks they are part of. As evidenced in the maps below, investment in this type of gleaning in 2022 and beyond has exponentially impacted the reach and impact of RTWM’s gleaning program. 

Significantly, approximately 25% of gleaners in 2023 reported that gleaning directly helped feed them and their families/households. This 25% included people who are food insecure, people who are on the edge of food insecurity, and people who are food secure but still benefited from gleaning and were able to give back and support local farms and businesses because of it. Open community gleans fostered a deep sense of community, created meaningful connections between people who might never have otherwise met, offered respite from a stressful world, and provided opportunities for community-led workshops using culturally affirming varieties of crops. As an organization that strives to support the resiliency of local farms, help communities help communities, and affirm diverse cultural heritages through self-determined foodways, Bea’s Harvest exemplifies these values and goals.  

As a Jewish organization, RTWM relates to gleaning as a practice with not only ecological and economic implications, but also spiritual implications. Gleaning practices fall under the concept of tikkun olam, which essentially means giving back to make the world more whole (tikkun meaning to repair, and olam meaning world or universe) (10). 

People are hungry. Hunger in Massachusetts is steadily on the rise. As of October 2023, 15.4% of households in MA and 19.2% of households with children do not know where their next meal will come from (7). According to some metrics, the hunger rate in Western Massachusetts is as high as 41% of the overall population (12). The reasons for such high rates of food insecurity are numerous: poverty, high prices of nutritious food, U.S. subsidies on cash crops that underlie the production of junk and fast food, insufficient or non-existent public transportation, and the utter absence of grocery stores in some communities are just a few of the issues (7). 

Approximately 33.7% of food grown on farms is wasted (11).  Farmers often grow more than they can sell to ensure they will have enough for their customers (8). After harvest, they often leave food in the fields because it is not ready to harvest yet it is not cost effective to send workers out for a second harvest, or because it is not cost effective to flood market supply. There is also often edible produce that farmers cannot sell because it is imperfect in appearance (small, misshapen, scarred). This produce either gets tilled back underground (as with small farmers), or is sent to landfills (as is common with industrial farmers selling to distribution warehouses) where its decomposition releases methane gasses and contributes to climate change (11). 

In addition to the practice of gleaning from corners (pe’ah) described in the Torah, also embedded in these verses are the laws of leket and shichecha-- fallen and forgotten fruit. These laws dictate that once fruit has touched the ground, or if we forget produce in the field, it can no longer be considered ‘ours’ – it becomes ownerless and available to anyone who may need it (10). 

Because ancient Jews were a land-based people, distinctions between different types of edible plants were important; leket referred specifically to grain, while peret and olelot referred specifically to grapes. (Peret/leket apply to fallen produce, while olelot refers to the clusters on the vine with only a few grapes) (10). 

A common emphasis in these laws is taking only what you need and leaving the rest for others. These laws help ensure that enough produce is left in the fields to feed people who need it. In contemporary times, these ancient Hebraic laws can provide important guidance about how we might understand our place in Creation, our responsibilities towards each other, and how to approach land and food equity in our communities (9). 

Below are maps illustrating some principles previously mentioned, namely pe'ah and shichecha. While RTWM doesn't necessarily adhere to these rules, or ask farmers to either, they still can provide a helpful frame of reference and comparison to how much farm produce is left in fields each year.

The interactive maps below show distribution data for 2023 as well as comparisons to 2021 and 2022 data. Both maps use the following symbols: 

In 2023, RTWM gleaned a total of 28,023 pounds of produce from 11 farms, which was distributed to 47 formal partner agencies and 21 community neighbor groups (these being gleaner groups from certain locations who directly took produce home for themselves or to distribute to others in their community).

Tips for exploring the distribution map: 

• Expand the map to full screen by clicking on the white button containing a grey square and arrow in the top right corner of the map. 
• Collapse or expand the side panel with the list of farm partners by clicking the small white tab with an arrow on it (located to the right of Next Barn Over). Toggle these farms ON or OFF to view their 2023 impact. 
• Use the black + / - buttons near the top to zoom in or out of the map. 
• Expand the map to full screen by clicking on the white button containing a grey square and arrow in the top right corner of the map. 
• Click on points and lines to view the exact numbers of pounds they represent. 

 _{(If you are on a mobile device, the screen size may be too small to display the embedded maps in your browser, and should display instead as a gray box--click the link in this box to open the interactive map in a new tab.)} 

The map below gives a sense of how RTWM's reach has changed over the past few years.

Tips for exploring the historical comparison map: 

• Use the white + / - buttons in the top left to zoom in or out of the map.  

• View the map legend by clicking the button with three horizontal lines on it at the bottom center of the map.  

• To specify what data you’d like to see, select which year you would like to view by clicking the button with a rhomboid on it at the bottom center of the map. Using the drop-down menu under a given year, you can select whether you’d like to view farms, agencies, and/or informal distribution networks. 

• Click, hold, and drag your mouse (if using a computer) to control which area of the map you’re seeing. 

• Expand the map to full screen by clicking on the white button containing a grey square and arrow in the top right corner of the map. 

 _{(If you are on a mobile device, the screen size may be too small to display the embedded maps in your browser, and should display instead as a gray box--click the link in this box to open the interactive map in a new tab.)} 

On the spectrum of immediate crises to root causes of hunger, gleaning serves both goals. Influxes of fresh local produce support people immediately in need. Community building, culturally relevant produce selection, direct engagement by people impacted by food insecurity and/or economic challenge, and popular education about local agriculture all contribute to systemic solutions. 

In the future, RTWM aims to deepen their relationships with farmers and continue to build a local network of connections between farmers, volunteers, agencies, and people receiving produce – especially as farms will continue to have to respond to climate change and other uncertainties. Recognizing the importance of regenerative and sustainable forms of agriculture that keep topsoil in place, sequester carbon, abstain from the use of dangerous chemicals, improve the fertility and carrying capacity of the land, and care about equity for farmworkers, RTWM will focus on partnering with farms that incorporate principles of organic and/or regenerative agriculture, integrated pest management, and labor equity. At the same time, RTWM honors and appreciates the labor of all farmers – people who generously choose a non-lucrative vocation because they want to feed people. Supporting small farms and family-owned farms is also a principle RTWM is committed to. 

RTWM aims to apply the lessons they have learned about how gleaning can serve systems change to their Rescue and Purchase programs. For example, how might they approach food rescue so that people experiencing food insecurity can rescue food directly to their schools and community centers? How might they engage faith communities in growing and distributing food that meets their unique dietary needs? How can they engage other community partners (such as corporations and businesses) to deliver and distribute rescued and purchased food to help their own employees?  

This all relates to RTWM's broad vision of embodying a holistic approach to food security. They recognize the looming threats of climate change, increased flows of immigrant, refugees, and asylees into the region, and a changing economy and supply chain on top of pre-existing inequities. They are working towards food system resilience in a broad and diverse landscape of need.

RTWM is continuously working for a better food future. Director of Intercultural Learning & Land-Based Programs Cara Michelle Silverberg says, " I want people to connect, or reconnect, with land tending and growing food for themselves and their communities. I want to see farmers and farm workers be more well sustained by their labor. I want to see quality of life improve for farmers and farm workers. I want farms – particularly those that use regenerative farming practices – to be more viable. Without farms, there is no food security."

(1) River Valley Co Op. (2022, July 14). Growing for a Greater Good at Next Barn Over. Growing for a greater good at next barn over. Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://rivervalley.coop/main-nav/news-events/co-op-blog/vendor-profiles/vendor-profiles-details/next-barn-over 

(2) Providence Ministries for the Needy, Inc. (n.d.). Kate's kitchen. Providence Ministries. Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://www.provministries.org/portfolio/kates-kitchen/ 

(3) publisher, H. F. (2019, January 9). Fit to eat. Issuu. Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://issuu.com/hazon/docs/fit_to_eat 

(4) Overall (all ages) hunger & poverty in Massachusetts: Map the meal gap. Overall (all ages) Hunger & Poverty in the United States. (n.d.). Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://map.feedingamerica.org/county/2020/overall/massachusetts 

(5) Jellum, L. (2022, August 25). What is gleaning? past, present & future. Food Forward. Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://foodforward.org/food-recovery/what-is-gleaning/#:~:text=Gleaning%20has%20been%20an%20important,for%20themselves%20and%20their%20families .

(6) Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts. (n.d.). Outrun Hunger – Let's Race to Fill the Bowls! . MailChimp. Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://mailchi.mp/jewishwesternmass/check-out-what-rachels-table-is-doing-in-your-community-60g4uv2e9u-4171120%C2%A0 

(7) Project Bread. (n.d.). Hunger & Food Insecurity in Massachusetts: Project bread. Hunger & Food Insecurity in Massachusetts | Project Bread. Retrieved March 10, 2024, from https://www.projectbread.org/hunger-by-the-numbers 

(8) rst. (n.d.). Food waste in America in 2022: Statistics & Facts: RTS. Recycle Track Systems. Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://www.rts.com/resources/guides/food-waste-america/ 

(9) Silverberg, C. M. (n.d.). Rachel's Table Quarterly Newsletter: March 2022 issue. Rachel's Table Springfield. Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://rachelstablespringfield.org/rachels-table-quarterly-newsletter-march-2022-issue/ 

(10) Silverberg, C.M. Interview. Conducted by Abigail Dustin, Margaret Bassney, and Kari Berntson. December 12-20, 2022.

(11) Wozniacka, G. (2019, August 20). Study Finds Farm-Level Food Waste is Much Worse Than We Thought. Civil Eats. Retrieved December 19, 2022 from https://civileats.com/2019/08/20/study-finds-farm-level-food-waste-is-much-worse-than-we-thought/

(12) The Greater Boston Food Bank. (2023). Opportunities to Improve Food Equity and Access in Massachusetts: Ending Hunger--Together. Retrieved March 10, 2024, from  https://www.gbfb.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Ending-Hunger-Together_Opportunities-to-Improve-Food-Equity-and-Access.pdf .

 Original StoryMap  by Abigail Dustin, Kari Berntson, and Margaret Bassney, 2023. Updated by Allison Pasbjerg, 2024

To all the farms we glean with and that donate to our food rescue program, we are infinitely grateful for your partnership and the work you do. 

 Atlas Farm   Baggot Family Farms   Book and Plow Farm    Brookfield Farm    Easy Pickins Orchard    Hampshire Farm Center    Kelso Homestead Blueberries    Mountain Orchard    Next Barn Over Farm    Old Friends Farm    Oxen Hill Farm     Requezas del Campo    Riverland Farm    Winter Moon Roots Farm  

To readers of this StoryMap: Please patronize local farms wherever you live. They are the lifeblood of our food systems! If you live in Massachusetts, here is a local farm finder to find a farm near you:  CISA – Community Involved In Sustaining Agriculture | Find it Locally (buylocalfood.org)  

Judaism, when understood in the context of its land-based roots, is full of land acknowledgement practices. The first words out of our mouth each morning are meant to be words of gratitude – for having our souls returned to us after they wandered through the night, and for being alive amidst the beauty of all of Creation. The first chapters of Torah are the telling of memory about how the waters and land were separated from each other; how the sun, moon, and stars first shone; how the trees, plants, and flowering beings came to give their gifts; how the fish and birds began to swim and fly; how the four legged and scaled creatures began to run, jump, crawl, and slither; and finally, after all of that was done, how the humans were borne. RTWM Director of Intercultural Learning & Land-Based Programs Cara Michelle Silverberg once asked a group of 10-year-olds why it is our responsibility to take care of the earth. After several responses, a quiet girl raised her hand. She slowly replied, “In the Torah, it says that we should respect our elders. Also in the Torah, it says that humans were created after everyone else – the birds, the fish, the trees, everyone. So really, it’s like the whole Earth is our elder, and that’s why we need to protect it.” Many people call Jews the “People of the Book.” However, long before they were displaced from their place of origin and relied on Torah to convey tradition, Jews were People of the Land. May Gleaning be a way for us to remember where we come from and honor our elder the Earth. Whatever the faiths or traditions of those in the fields with us, may we all remember to be grateful for the gifts we are given and draw instruction from our respective cultural lineages with integrity and care for future generations.

While we root in the land acknowledgment practices of our own cultural traditions, we also recognize the Pocumtuck, Nipmuc, Agawam, and Nonotuck as the thousands-years-old stewards of these lands who continue to grow food, tend plants and medicines, and lead efforts towards environmental protection, ecological stewardship, and climate mitigation. We also recognize their neighbors, whose historic and ongoing presence also nourish this place: the Wabanaki Confederacy to the North; the Massachusset and Wampanoag to the East; the Tunxis, Mohegan, and Pequot to the South; and the Mohican to the West. We understand that the ongoing legacy of colonization wreaks havoc on land and Indigenous communities, including but not limited to undermining food sovereignty and traditional foodways, and causing epidemics like diabetes and heart disease. We are grateful for the opportunity to do our work in this place and are committed to deepening our relationships with Indigenous peoples of these lands. We acknowledge that we are at the beginning of this journey as an organization. We are committed to examining and healing our own cultural trauma so that we do not re-enact harm in our relationships and community work. We accept that we will make mistakes, and we commit to trying anyway. We welcome feedback, conversation, and collaboration. We invite readers of this StoryMap to explore the following: 

1. Visit the  MA Indigenous Legislative Agenda  to learn about what issues local Indigenous communities are seeking action and support around. 
2. Attend educational events or help tend the gardens at Wissatinnewag with the  Nolumbeka Project.  
3. If you are not native to this continent, use  Healing Haunted Histories  by Elaine Enns and Ched Myers as a tool to help you dig into your own ancestral history and better understand your position and responsibilities in this place today. 
4. Learn about Indigenous-led land projects and initiatives near you. In Western Massachusetts, here are some to check out:  Belchertown-Nipmuc Farm Conservation Alliance ,  Ohketeau Cultural Center ,  Nipmuc Cultural Preservation Inc. ,  Nipmuc Land Project at The Farm School ,  Eastern Woodland Rematriation,  and  Native Land Conservancy .