We are a small group of working people trying to reduce fruit loss in the Truckee Meadows. The Reno Gleaning Project has two seasons. We have our partner development season which begins on January 15th and ends on June 15th. During this time, we interview and recruit pickers and assess donation opportunities out of the many organizations and entities that feed people in our area.
Then we have our harvest season. Harvest begins with first fruit, usually cherries and apricots in July or August and goes to November 15 when consecutive freezes and daylight savings time shuts us down.
If you visit the site in either season you will notice our contact button changes between Volunteer Today and Request Service. This allows us to stay focused on the work of our season and better serve the community at large.
There are several ways to partner with the RGP to distribute the amazing fruit that grows in the Truckee Meadows.
We have 4 Volunteer Orientations coming up!
Please come and hear what we do and how we do it .
If you like Fresh Air and Fresh fruit, The Reno Gleaning Project might be right for you!
Saturday 5/18 and Tuesday 5/21
830am to 10am
Whole Foods Market
Tap Room
6139 South Virginia St
Reno, NV 89502
Monday 5/20 and Wednesday 5/29
630pm-8pm
Liberty Food and Wine Exchange
100 N Sierra St
Reno, NV 89501
We are looking forward to meeting you and hope you decide to join us, in the way that best suits you, to save as much fruit as possible in our beautiful Community.
Opportunities are structured below based on the amount of time you have to offer.
Growing:
1-3 hours per year
Growers are the foundation of our project and we are so grateful for your tree stewardship. If you have a tree, there are a few key things that will improve the production of your tree for your consumption and for your donation. Beginning in 2019 fruit will be picked on a best in, first out based. That means we will need to check quality before assigning a picker.
To increase your chances of producing donatable fruit you can check out the I HAVE A FRUIT TREE tab at the top of this page for tips on improving your harvest. Good growing my friends🙏🏼
Picking:
3 to 30 hours per year
We commit a minimum of 4 hours of service to each property owner who invites us to harvest their ripe edible fruit. As a picker, you are given the request for service. You then contact the grower and arrange a pick. You need reliable transportation, sturdy bags for collecting fruit, an extension pole picker. Ladders are only used if provided by the homeowner.
A list of non-profit organizations that feed people is provided and you can choose where you want to donate. We encourage pickers to identify new donation opportunities and we are willing to support any organization in town that feeds people.
Surveyor:
30-50 Hours per year
This position is best suited for people with a flexible or mobile work schedule who drive around town for their work like outside sales people and realtors. People who want to participate but are not physically capable of picking may also find this job fun.
Tell us about your organization so we can bring you some fruit as a donation outlet!
We are most interested in donations of time and talent but we realize many people because of work and family obligations can’t give that. If you still want to support our work, financial support is most appreciated. Generous donations have been instrumental in making this organization a registered 501c3 non-profit our EIN# is 82-2650231.
We accept checks made out to:
Reno Gleaning Project
Please mail to:
7264 Glenmore Ct
Reno, NV 89523.
All donations go to support fruit collection through the purchase of extension pole pickers and fees for our website and request forms. Pickers are using their own money and resources to pick and the fruit is our compensation.
There are no paid positions at the project and our picking is always free.
Your support and contributions will enable us to continuously improve our electronic tools, support our website and accounting and buy extension pole pickers for our volunteers and growers where needed!
Tree caretakers are welcomed to contact us at the first sign of ripeness.
We will arrange to collect fruit on a first call first served basis. Don’t wait too long.
Fruit that is firm is best for donation!
A large tree can produce 200-1500 lbs of beautiful fruit. We need help to distribute before it spoils. We are so grateful to support the work of Boys and Girls Club, the Eddy House, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Bristlecone, Hands of Hope Food Bank, Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality, Saint Vincents, Reno Sparks Gospel Mission, Community Health Alliance and many more.
Grow for us!
Water, prune and clean under your tree. If you really want to get fancy you can fertilize and thin your fruit. TMWA has resources to help you care for your tree!
Is your fruit almost ready to eat? Request a glean! Click our request service button and fill out the form. I will receive your request and assign the next available picker.
Copyright © 2019 Reno Gleaning Project - All Rights Reserved.