Our Volunteers
Meet our Volunteers
There are nearly 300 trained volunteers who participate in Fields of Grace. Volunteers include children and adults. Children are welcome to glean with their parents on many of the events. It is a great way for families to serve together. At the farmers' request, some gleaning events are restricted to adults.
Training our Volunteers
We understand that it is important to respect the property of the farmer. For that reason, every Fields of Grace volunteer attends a training session in the Tri-City area. This session lasts for approximately one hour and is followed by a special meal. During the training, volunteers are briefed about:
- Biblical references about gleaning
- Hunger in the local area
- Gleaning etiquette
- Safety at the gleaning site
- A "typical" gleaning day
Volunteers are also asked to complete a liability waiver (link to forms page). Each person who attends also has an opportunity to determine how they want to serve in Fields of Grace. The options include:
- Be a Gleaning Volunteer
- Transport Produce from gleaning site to 2nd Harvest
- Be a First Aide Attendant at Gleaning Events
- Be part of a Quick Response Team (for small residential events)
- Call Gleaning Volunteers who want to be notified by phone
- Help with the Volunteer Database
- Be on the Prayer Team
- Check in Volunteers on Gleaning Days (all gleaners report to central location before traveling to the gleaning site)
- Help maintain Fields of Grace Web site
- Make Signs to Direct Gleaners to gleaning site
Sessions are generally held in the Spring and Fall at West Side Church. Churches and organizations can also request a training session.
Click here to register for a Training Session
Notifying gleaning volunteers
Once our volunteers have completed a training session, their information is entered into a database. When there is a gleaning event, volunteers are generally notified by E-mail unless they specify some other means of communication. Because some gleaning events do not have a long lead time, volunteers are encouraged to check their E-mail often.
A "Typical" Gleaning Day
Gleaning Events normally are held on Saturday mornings (however, smaller events may occur on weekdays). Volunteers meet at West Side Church in Richland, WA to check-in and pick up a map to the gleaning site. (ALL volunteers have to have a completed liability waiver on file to participate.)
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