Record year for Gleaners

It was another record-breaking year for the North Okanagan Gleaners.

The Vernon-based non-profit group operates a processing plant in Lavington where donated vegetables are dehydrated and turned into a soup mix that is then shipped around the world.

In 2024, the Gleaners produced more than 15 million meals, their highest amount ever.

According to a post on their Facebook page, the Gleaners produced 15,681,928 servings over the past 12 months.

That beats the old record of 13.5 million servings produced in 2023.

The North Okanagan Valley Gleaners Society was created in the summer of 2007 by a group of individuals who had become acutely aware of the problem of world hunger and the fact that the Okanagan is rich in food supplies.

“Much of our local food production unfortunately goes to waste,” says a statement on their website. “The desire to make use of these gleanings to feed the hungry in other countries convinced them to do something. Distribution is done by reputable and established Christian aid organizations who have partnered with us.”

Since the Gleaners began operations, they have produced a staggering 106,324,278 servings.

The food is sent to some of the poorest and most war-torn regions of the world.

The Gleaners also ship several shipping containers a year full of medical supplies ranging from hospital beds to wheelchairs to linens.

The items are donated to the Gleaners as they are considered outdated by North American standards, but for hospitals with no resources, they are a godsend.

The Gleaners also operate a second-hand furniture store in Vernon that helps support the processing plant. The store also donates items to people in need.