Our Mission

The North Okanagan Valley Gleaners Society (“The Gleaners”) is a group of volunteers who have responded to the opportunity to turn surplus food crops into nutritious meals for a hungry world. Additionally we receive donated medical equipment from local facilities, and distribute it to institutions in many countries. Distribution is done by reputable and established Christian aid organizations who have partnered with us.

About NORTH OKANAGAN VALLEY GLEANERS SOCIETY

A variety of vegetables are donated by growers to the Gleaners. This does not mean they are inedible but, for a variety of reasons such as being too large or malformed, they may not be suitable for sale in stores.

Volunteers arrive daily (Monday through Friday mornings) to help with the cleaning, chopping and preparation of the produce for the dehydration, as well as packaging the final product. These volunteers may be seniors, members of local churches, groups from schools and clubs, or individuals and families from the local communities.

Once per year stock is taken and a soup mix recipe is created from the ingredients on hand. The mix is packaged in 100-serving sealed bags, then packed into boxes or drums ready for shipping. Apples and pears are also dehydrated, packaged and shipped as nutritious snacks.

Used medical equipment is the second major "gleaning" operation at NOVG. Hospital beds, wheelchairs and many other items gathered from Okanagan medical facilities.