Every night before close at Aldi, Barbara, a manager, would gather 3 or 4 carts of produce and take them to the dumpster. She was crushed that she had to throw away something she knew could help nourish the hungry. There were perfectly edible bananas with brown spots and apples with slight discoloration, packages of strawberries with one strawberry moldy and the others ripe, and broccoli without a trace of mold. It broke her heart to see edible food thrown away, often bringing her to tears. Without knowledge of GleanKY, she did not know what to do with the excess, but she did know there were hungry individuals that could definitely use the food. Enter GleanKY.
Barbara’s heartbreak is not uncommon. Food waste is a significant problem in our world, country, state, and city. With knowledge that over 40% of food ends up in landfills, a small group of friends strategically decided to save healthy, nutritious produce for the hungry and food-insecure of Lexington. Founding GleanKY five years ago, these friends have seen the expansion of the organization to include not just farmers’ markets and orchards, but also grocery stores. At this point in time, 5 grocery stores have partnered with GleanKY, committing themselves to donate rather than throw away culled produce items. We have gleaned nearly 100,000 pounds of produce from the grocery stores alone.
We started gleaning excess produce from the two Aldi locations in Lexington two months ago. In that short period of time, we have gleaned over a 1,000 pounds. Before we arrived, Aldi had no choice but to toss their produce. How can you help eliminate food waste in your community? Donate, volunteer, and spread the word about gleaning. GleanKY is in the midst of year-end giving campaign. A $10 donation alone funds a gleaning trip that rescues an average of 600 pounds of produce. We need your help! You can make a DIFFERENCE in the lives of the food-insecure and hungry in Central KY!