The United States wastes 92 billion pounds of food annually. Locally, CROS Ministries is working with community partners and volunteers to rescue some of this unnecessary waste through its gleaning program.
During the 2024-25 season, which closed at the end of August, CROS gleaned 460,245 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to help feed the food insecure in Palm Beach and Martin counties.
It is estimated that more than 192,000 residents in Palm Beach County struggle with hunger. As a leading South Florida nonprofit providing hunger relief, CROS is boots-on-the-ground six days a week, working to ensure access to healthy food for all in need.
“Our gleaning program is a critical component to addressing local food insecurity. Thanks to our growing partners that allow us to rescue their produce before the fields are plowed and prepared for the next crop, and to the many volunteers who help us harvest in the fields, we are able to stand in the gap for the hungry in our community. We are working together to solve this public health crisis by preventing food waste and increasing access to healthy food for our neighbors,” CROS Ministries Executive Director Ruth Mageria said.
In collaboration with local growing partners RC Hatton, Bedner Family Farms, Agri-Gator Inc., Hundley Farms, Mecca Farms, Growers Management, Roth Farms, TKM Bengard Farms and PM Management, CROS Gleaning recovers fresh fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste. This includes tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet corn, green peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, radishes, green beans, lettuce, zucchini and cabbage.
CROS also has a partnership with Palm Beach County and the Solid Waste Authority to glean mangos at the SWA’s Central County Transfer Station in Lantana. The transfer station was built on a mango grove, and some of the trees were kept as a noise buffer. CROS manages the grove and harvests the mangoes for distribution.
Gleaning encompasses various rescue activities: field gleanings where volunteers go to local fields to recover the produce and “grower direct” where the grower donates the produce.
A portion of the gleaned produce is allocated to CROS food pantries and its Caring Kitchen program. The remaining produce goes to distribution partners, including Feeding South Florida, Farm Share, the Palm Beach County Food Bank, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, the Glades Initiative and House of Hope of Martin County.
“We are providing more food sources and increasing the availability of healthier, nutritious food, thus contributing to the overall well-being of our community,” Mageria said.
Providing hunger relief through food waste reduction is only possible with community support. This past year, 3,707 volunteers helped CROS with 244 scheduled gleaning events. CROS also continues to explore new distribution channels and is open to any credible agency feeding the hungry and looking to access fresh produce.
The next gleaning season begins later this year and will run through July 31, 2026, weather pending. Gleaning is open to individuals and groups of all ages. For more information on volunteering, e-mail [email protected] or call (561) 713-4317.
Visit www.crosministries.org to learn more about CROS Ministries and its hunger relief initiatives.
