Day 59: Gleaning, Gleaning

"What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
GLEANING with the everlasting arms..."

“I put in a lot of heavy hours, so some days I can hardly walk,” says Ann Evans, a retired Associate in Ministry who volunteers at Senior Gleaners of San Diego County. “But I forget about my pain when I see the excitement of the volunteers and the people [we] help.”

"What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
GLEANING with the everlasting arms."

Senior Gleaners of San Diego County (El Cajon, California) taps into the skills of volunteers, age 55 and over, who glean excess food that would otherwise be destroyed. The collected food— from area fields, grocery stores, and packing sheds— is then distributed to 45 food-distribution agencies in San Diego County. In 2006, 65 volunteers worked for 10,000 hours to collect and distribute nearly 500,000 pounds of food.

"Gleaning, Gleaning, safe and secure from all alarms..."

Through the ELCA domestic hunger grants program, your gifts to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal support Senior Gleaners in San Diego County and other hunger-fighting ministries and organizations in the United States. “Gleaners has no paid staff and is supported entirely by donations and grants, such as that provided by ELCA World Hunger,” said the Rev. M. Laurel Gray, president of Senior Gleaners of San Diego County.

"Gleaning, Gleaning, Gleaning with the everlasting arms."

Learn more about ELCA domestic hunger grants here.
View a short PowerPoint about Senior Gleaners here.

Join Bethany Lutheran's own Glean Team on Saturday, September 11th, from 7:30 am - noon. Everyone needs to bring: water, gloves, hat, sturdy shoes and a snack. We'll meet in the West Parking lot. Sign up at the Hospitality Desk today!

Day 59. Dollar 59. "Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way - Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day..." Hunger Relief Day Community: thank you for gathering your grain and your hearts around a project that will assist our hungering friends here in Denver!