Food Access & Gleaning

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

Weekly Gleans
The Big Sukkot Glean
What to bring
Directions and parking


Weekly Gleans

Since 2012, Oxbow has been proudly partnering with Hopelink Harvest to hold weekly gleans during the growing season. We recently expanded our gleaning partnerships to include Jewish Family Service of Seattle (JFS) and FareStart. Each week from July through October, volunteers gather at Oxbow to harvest produce from our fields for donation to area food banks.

We hope you can join us in our gleaning efforts, whether it’s once or for the whole season. Each gleaning day is coordinated by a different partner. Weekday gleaning groups have a limited capacity of 10 people.


Hopelink

Wednesdays from 1-3PM

If you are interested in volunteering one day, all season, or have any questions about gleans with Hopelink, please contact the Hopelink Harvest Program Coordinator (hopelinkharvest@hopelink.org).


Jewish Family Service of Seattle (JFS)

4th Tuesday of every month from 10AM – 12PM

To register, please send an email to the Volunteer Coordinator at JFS (volunteer@jfsseattle.org) and include the words “Oxbow Gleaning” in the subject line.


FareStart

Fridays from 10AM – 12PM

To register, please send an email to the Volunteer Coordinator at Farestart (sasha.selden@farestart.org) and include the words “Oxbow Gleaning” in the subject line.


For weekday gleans, participants must be over the age of 7. If you’re interested in a group gleaning activity with kids under 7, join us for our annual family-friendly Big Glean. See details below!


The Big Sukkot Glean

It is a longstanding tradition at Oxbow to honor the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, a celebration of the fall harvest falling shortly after the Jewish New Year. Each year for the past 11 years, we have gathered with our community in the fields for a Big Glean. Harvesting together to share with those in need is a beautiful way to honor the tradition of “Tzedakah,” or good deeds and charity while aligning with Oxbow’s mission: to inspire people to eat healthy, sustainably grown food and to steward our natural resources for future generations.

We are joined by our many partners, including:

The Kavana Cooperative | Stroum JCC | Hopelink | JFS Seattle | FareStart
and other food access partners.

More information coming soon.

This is a family-friendly event full of hard work and good cheer! All ages are welcome. After the glean, we invite you to check out our organic Farm Stand, bring a picnic, and stay to enjoy Oxbow with your friends and family.

Come dressed for the weather, we will be gleaning rain or shine. See you there!



What should I bring to gleaning events?

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!


Directions and parking

Please use our Public Entrance off of Hwy 203, just 1.4 miles south of the 124th St. roundabout. Oxbow’s address is 10819 Carnation-Duvall Rd NENOTE: Google maps may take you to the incorrect entrance. Please pay careful attention to signage. Look for a large “public entrance signWelcome to Oxbow” sign marking the new driveway. Other entrances used in past years will be CLOSED and may be difficult to back out of; please do not use any other entrances unless you’ve been specifically instructed to by Oxbow staff. Click here for detailed directions and a map.

Park in the marked parking areas; most gleaning groups will meet at the Farm Stand unless you’ve been directed otherwise. Cell phone reception can be spotty in our agricultural area, so be sure to know where your meeting place is, and have your volunteer coordinator’s contact information and any other info printed out ahead of time. Thanks!