Glean with Blessed Sacrament

October 15, 2011

8am - 12pm

  • VOLUNTEER

Renew the Blessed Sacrament tradition of gleaning by gathering unharvested produce from Maryland farms.  The Environmental Action Ministry and the School of Religion will cohost a gleaning activity with MidAtlantic Gleaning Network (MAGNET).  MAGNET arranges for local groups to harvest additional produce from fields that farmers are finished working for the season, and then stocks food banks with fresh produce.

  • WHY GLEAN?

Gleaning has a long Biblical tradition and can be traced to the Old Testament Book of Ruth, in which Ruth gleans the fields of Boaz to feed herself and her widowed mother-in-law Naomi.  Gleaning recognizes that the earth itself belongs to God and that those who have, the farmers/landowners, have a responsibility to share the bounty of the earth with those who have not.  After the fields were harvested in the Old Testament, the remains, including the stalks, were left for the poor, the widows, and the elderly. They were welcome to gather the remaining produce and even the stalks as fodder, fuel, or bedding.

  • BLESSED SACRAMENT HISTORY

Greg Gannon, known to every parishioner through the school food drive every fall, began this tradition in Blessed Sacrament many years ago and kept it going for ten or more years.  In this Centennial Year, let's join together to serve our neighbors.

  • TRANSPORTATION

We will drive ourselves or carpool to the site.  If you need a ride or have extra spaces in your car, contact pkvanaugh@blessedsacramentdc.org

  • DRESS CODE

Hat, long-sleeved shirt, long pants, sturdy shoes and socks.  When in the fields, MAGNET recommends tucking pants into socks.

MAGNET will provide work gloves as necessary or bring your own.

  • WHAT TO BRING
  •  
    • Water or Gatorade
    • Snacks
    • Sunscreen
    • Hand sanitizer
    • Signed waiver form, one per family. Click here to download and print the waiver form. 
  • RAINY DAY ALTERNATIVE

Meet at the MAGNET warehouse to repack bulk produce into family-size boxes. MAGNET warehouse, 11701 Crain Highway, US 301, Cheltenham, MD 20605

 

For more information and to register your interest, please email

or pkavanaug .