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HOPE'S HARVEST

On-Farm Food Rescue & Donation

Hope’s Harvest mobilizes volunteers to harvest surplus fruits and vegetables from farms, contracts with local growers, and pays for surplus produce — all for distribution to hunger relief agencies throughout RI. Hope’s Harvest supports:

  • Economic opportunities for local farm businesses to meet the needs of the emergency food system
  • Healthy food access and food security for all Rhode Islanders
  • Improved community resilience by increasing the amount of locally grown produce consumed in RI

Hunger Relief Purchasing

In addition to our gleaning activities, Hope’s Harvest also coordinates grant-funded procurement programs that pay local farmers to grow for hunger relief. 

  • The Farm to Food Pantry (FTFP) program allocates funding to hunger relief agencies in RI to purchase locally produced goods through the Market Mobile online ordering platform.
  • The Senior Market Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) is a hunger relief program that addresses food insecurity among low-income Rhode Island seniors by distributing boxes of locally grown fruits, vegetables, honey, and herbs, all of which is sourced from Rhode Island farmers. This program is run in conjunction with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), please visit their website for more program specifics.

3,500 Volunteers

Recruited to rescue food at local farms

1,078,639 lbs

Fresh, local produce saved from waste

35,000 people/month

Served rescued food at RI relief agencies

*Metrics represent years 2018-2023.

ABOUT
Read about the mission, vision and values of Hope's Harvest, and learn more about our program's accomplishments and team members.
LEARN MORE

AGENCIES
Receive fresh, nutritious, local fruits and vegetables for your guests. Produce is sourced from local farms, harvested with the highest quality and safety standards, and delivered on your schedule. GET STARTED

VOLUNTEERING FAQ
Make a difference in your community by picking fresh fruits and vegetables for your neighbors in need. Gleaning volunteers register, sign waivers, and are then notified of upcoming gleaning trips to sign up. GET STARTED

FARMERS
Want to donate or sell surplus farm produce to feed your neighbors in need? Volunteers, fully insured and supervised by experienced staff, harvest crops on your farm that would otherwise go to waste. Gleaners work on your schedule, and donations are tax deductible. We also contract with growers and pay for surplus product all year round. We make it easy for farmers to do good! LEARN MORE

PROGRAM IN ACTION

Meet Hope's Harvest

As an efficient and effective solution to the twin challenges of food waste and hungry people, farm-based food recovery (also known as “gleaning”) strengthens our local food system and makes our communities less dependent on commodity food shipped from thousands of miles away instead of what’s in our own backyard.