UV MEND gleaning up and running

Upper Valley MEND’s gleaning program, where community members can help UV MEND employees gather excess produce from farms that will be donated to the foodbank, is up and running for the summer. UV MEND gleans several times a week and welcomes volunteers of all types for any amount that they are available, said Rachel Bishop, Food Programs Manager at UV MEND.

Those who are interested in volunteering can sign up on UV MEND’s website uvmend.org navigate to the tab join us, click volunteer and then fill out the form with programs they are interested in volunteering in. The gleaning program is funded through UV MEND as well as the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s Harvest against Hunger program, Bishop said.

The Harvest against Hunger funding will be used to purchase produce from the farms that will provided to the food pantry, Bishop said. Volunteers are the backbone of the UV MEND program, she said. Volunteers help to run the food bank, glean, grocery rescue, work at Jubilee, help with Cornerstone Community and run the thrift store.

Those interested in volunteering can also keep up with the gleaning program through their Instagram, uvmend_gleaning, Facebook, Upper Valley MEND Gleaning, or by calling the main office at 509-548-0408. UV MEND is currently trying to hire a gleaning coordinator, a full-time position that runs through October.

The gleaning season typically goes from May to October, Bishop said. This season, since the spring was so wet and cold, gleaning didn’t really ramp up until June. Gleaning typically happens from Leavenworth to Plain down to Malaga, she said. Currently, UV MEND does not provide transportation, but they can help coordinate carpools.

On average, UV MEND gleans 45,000 pounds of produce per year, Bishop said. That produce is donated to the Community Cupboard, the food bank in Leavenworth, as well as the Chelan-Douglas Community Action Council. Anyone with need is welcome to come to the Community Cupboard, Bishop said.

Those who want to use the food bank do not need to supply proof of income or residency, she said. As gas and food prices are increasing, more and more Americans need food assistance. The amount of food that a family or individual can receive per month varies depending on their household size, Bishop said.

“It’s a point-based system,” she said. “So, when they come in we let them know how many points they have. Each food item is a different [amount] of points. Veggies are typically four points and other things like canned goods [are less points]. Some things like butter, eggs and milk are limited so every household can have access to them.”

The cost of operations for the gleaning program is about $45,000 for staffing and expenses, said Kaylin Bettinger, Executive Director of UV MEND. The overall budget of UV MEND is about $1.5 million per year. The goal this year is for $200,000 worth of produce to be gleaned, said Bettinger.

Bettinger said that there has been an increase in people who are using the food bank as well as an increase in requests for emergency assistance like gas, rent and utilities because of inflation.  She said that she expects that UV MEND will still be able to keep up with the increased need for assistance.

Other programs that UV MEND runs include hosting a free medical clinic that is hosted on Monday nights, a dental assistance program, and they are affiliated with Cornerstone Community, a home for adults with developmental disabilities. UV MEND’s two businesses, Das Thrift Haus and Jubilee Global Gifts, help to fund UV MEND assistance programs.

Currently, the food bank is in need of donations of soup, chili, masa flour, eggs, diapers, toilet paper, cooking oil, juice and cereal, according to the UV MEND Instagram. The food bank is located on 219 14th St. in Leavenworth and is open 11 am to 5 pm Monday through Saturday.