Sweet Home Gleaners is seeking volunteers and members to help collect food and get it out to those who need it, many of whom are incapable of doing the work.
The Gleaners have 102 member families, said Coordinator Vanessa Facey. “Most of them are adoptees. They’re the ones who can’t make it down here to help.”
Since Jack Kuhns resigned last year for personal health reasons, the Gleaners have been refocusing their efforts, said his successor, Facey. “We’ve rearranged. We’ve cleaned it up. We’re trying to be more outgoing.”
The Gleaners, who operate a thrift store at 3031 Main Street, next to Hoy’s True Value hardware store, have added a room in the back of their building for furniture, she said. Community service crews serving sentences or working off fines build the furniture, which is sold through the Gleaners’ shop.
“We’re basically trying to make this place better,” said Carly Burton, the organization’s treasurer.
For several years, the Gleaners have hoped to construct a new building, but with the economy and the price of utilities rising, as well as the purchase of a new truck for $7,000, the Gleaners are unlikely to build it any time soon.
Still, it remains on the table, Facey said.
That’s focused the Gleaners on improving what they have, Facey said, and she urges people to “come in and see the new Gleaners.”
The Gleaners program normally requires clients to work for their food, Burton said. “It’s a hand up. It’s not a hand out. We put in a lot of hours.”
“All the board members are (regular) members, which is really nice because they are actually reaping the rewards and understand,” Facey said. They attempt to set an example, which seems to motivate other members.
The Gleaners collect leftover, unharvested and unsold food from farms, fields, stores and farmers markets €“ usually good food that would be thrown away, Facey said. Members break it down and share it with other members.
The word “glean” means to clean or to gather, Facey said.
“It’s a self-help program,” Burton said. “As you help yourself, you’re helping others as well.”
The program also assists people in emergencies, such as a house fire, Facey said. The Gleaners provide emergency clothing, food and other necessities.
The Gleaners help members in other ways too, Facey said. Right now, the store has a basket filled with donated school supplies to help children as they start their new school year.
The thrift store provides revenue to pay bills and other expenses. It sells clothing, furniture and a variety of other items, which are usually donated to the store.
“If you notice our prices going up, everything is going up,” Facey said. “Don’t forget when your electric bill goes up, so does ours.”
Volunteers are needed to price items for the floor, sorting, loading and unloading. Drivers are needed for the truck. Drivers do not need a commercial driver’s license. The store also needs cashiers.
The program has a maximum income requirement of $1,885 net income per month for a single person. A family of four qualifies with a household income of $3,675 or less. A household of six qualifies at $4,922 per month, and a family of eight qualifies at $6,168 per month. For each member of the household above eight, the income requirement increases by $623.
The Gleaners don’t want to turn anyone away, Facey said. “We really try to work with them, but they have to work with us. It takes a lot to run this store.”
The Gleaners are a tax-deductible nonprofit organization, and much of the operation is funded by donations, Facey said.
The Gleaners belong to Linn-Benton Food Share and the Oregon Bank where they can order food for pennies on the dollar, Facey said.
The Gleaners also run occasional raffles and other events to raise money, she said. They will hold a raffle on Dec. 18 for a donated oak entertainment center. Tickets cost $5 each. Cash from the raffle will be used to pay for a Christmas dinner for members, and all of their children will receive a present.
For more information, call 367-3190.