Naperville Park District Volunteers Glean 750 Pounds of Produce to Donate to Loaves & Fishes

On Tuesday, Oct. 10, a group of 76 Naperville Park District volunteers gathered up the leftovers of the 2017 gardening season at the Ron Ory Community Garden Plots on West Street in Naperville. The gleaning yielded 750 pounds of nutritious vegetables that were donated to Loaves & Fishes Community Services to provide healthy choices for area families who are receiving food through the service.

Volunteers of all ages worked together, including Metea Valley Vocational Program students, Naperville Evening Kiwanis, Garden Plot ambassadors, master gardeners, members of Naperville Community Gardeners and other individuals.

“Although our yield from the gleaning was 100 lbs. less than last year, the volume of produce was comparable,” said Jan Gricus, master gardener and member of Naperville Community Gardeners.

“Kale is not as heavy as squash,” explained Volunteer Manager Lynnette Hoole. “We had a huge harvest of beautiful kale and Swiss chard this year.”

Master gardeners Ron Ory and Logan Wasson developed the idea to glean vegetables at the Garden Plots in 2011, when the first group of volunteers gathered 160 pounds of vegetables. In addition, the master gardeners had the idea of donating produce all season long. They maintain their own garden plots, called “Plant a Row,” dedicated to providing produce for Loaves & Fishes. Other gardeners donate vegetables as well, using a donation station set up at the plots during the gardening season.

The 2017 yield from “Plant a Row” and donations from other gardeners throughout the season was 1,422 pounds. The total amount of fresh vegetables donated in 2017 from the Ron Ory Community Garden Plots to Loaves & Fishes including the Oct. 10 gleaning was 2,172 pounds.