Food Access & Gleaning

Helpful Harvests

Gleaning is the gathering of unharvested food from farm fields, which is then donated to local food banks and shelters. It’s a wonderful way to bring more fresh, organic produce into our community while keeping our farm fields productive and healthy. Oxbow supports gleaning through regular weekday gleans, gleans held by our young summer campers on their Kids’ Farm, and the annual Big Glean to celebrate the harvest season and the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Learn more about our various opportunities below!

Weekly Gleans

Since 2012, Oxbow has proudly partnered with Hopelink Harvest to hold weekly gleans during the growing season. We’ve expanded our partnerships to include Jewish Family Service of Seattle (JFS) and FareStart. From July through October, volunteers gather weekly to harvest fresh, nutritious food options for our community.

Join us in our gleaning efforts, whether for a day or the entire season. Each day is coordinated by a different partner, and weekday groups are limited to 10 people. To volunteer, please register through our partners:

Mondays
1-3PM

Sign up

Fridays
10AM–12PM

Sign up

4th Tuesday Each Month
10AM–12PM

Email JFS

What to Bring

Dress for the weather! We glean rain or shine, so dress in layers and be prepared for everything from muddy fields to hot sun. We recommend you come prepared with the following:

  • A water bottle (no glass bottles, please)
  • Closed-toe shoes or boots
  • Sun protection for sunny days
  • A rain jacket and pants for rainy days
  • Snacks or a picnic for after the glean
  • Face mask
  • Hand sanitizer

Pets are not allowed on our working organic farm, so please leave your furry friends at home!