Transition Sarasota Rescues 39,000 Pounds of Produce

May 23, 2022 – Sarasota

Transition Sarasota volunteers with the Suncoast Gleaning Project harvest excess or unwanted produce from local farms for distribution to those in need. During the week of May 16, 2022 this small but mighty group rescued over 39,000 pounds of fresh produce to donate to The Food Bank of Manatee, One More Child, and smaller local organizations supporting those in need. That is 39,000 pounds of produce that was eaten and not left to rot in the field or added to landfill. Leaving a trail of veggies, watermelon, and goodwill throughout Sarasota and Manatee Counties, some of the produce was delivered by car to elementary food pantries, a youth shelter, a church food pantry, Unique Unity, and more.

We look forward to harvesting more produce later this year during the winter growing season. As the importance of taking care of our environment is now critical, projects such as Transition Sarasota’s Suncoast Gleaning Project will continue to make a difference for community resiliency and sustainability.

Thanks to Our Partner
Thanks to Myakka City based Enza Zaden, all of this locally grown fresh produce was made available to Transition Sarasota to glean. Enza Zaden feels strongly about social responsibility and collaborates with Transition Sarasota to get fresh fruits and vegetables into the hands and onto the plates of those in need. With many people in our community struggling due to rapidly rising costs, reaching as many in our community as we can is even more important.

Please visit https://www.transitionsrq.org/ to learn about ways that you can donate your time and resources to help Transition Sarasota feed our community and reduce food waste.