Thank you for your interest in donating food to the Vashon Island Growers Association (VIGA) Food Preservation Initiative in partnership with the Vashon Maury Community Food Bank (https://www.vigavashon.org/preserve).

Gleaning is the practice of collecting leftover crops from the field or excess produce from fruit trees, gardens, farmers markets, farm stands, and restaurants. Some examples of where you may have excess crop in your operation are: during seasonal changes when a bed needs to be turned over quickly; you don't have the labor to harvest a bed and it is close to bolting; crop that is misshaped, the wrong size or does not meet cosmetic standards; leftover from your farm stand.  Gleaning reduces food waste and provides produce for people experiencing food insecurity.

Please note, under the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act, you are not held liable in regard to food donations if you take necessary precautions to ensure the safety of the food.