2025 End of Season Gleaning Wrap UP

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We found out in March that our regular seasonal AmeriCorps roles would be unavailable. Since these folks spearheaded the T2T gleaning program, we weren’t quite sure what this harvest season would look like. A small operational staff means we rely heavily on these positions to run our seasonal programs, but once again, our endlessly hardworking and dedicated volunteer network stepped up to help us meet the need, and went above and beyond. 2025 was our biggest gleaning season yet! T2T staff, volunteers, and AmeriCorps members went on 101 gleans at local farms, gardens, and orchards to harvest a grand total of 15,321 lbs. of fresh, local produce. Through our gleaning program we’re able to provide our local pantries and food access partners with hyper-local, farm fresh produce that typically goes home with folks within a matter of hours. Read on for some of our favorite gleaning stories of the year!

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A glean last week at Phoenix Farm in Morse, IA produced 255 lbs. Of organic apples with the help of Sustainable Iowa Land Trust (SILT) staff member, Joe Klingelhutz. SILT is a nonprofit dedicated to protecting land in the Heartland to grow food. Phoenix Farm was donated to SILT by Suzan Erem and Paul Durrenberger who believed the land should be protected for sustainable food farming forever. SILT will continue to steward this land for conservation and food farming for years to come. “We are excited to work with organizations like Table 2 Table to get healthy, local food into the community,” Joe said of the opportunity to glean with T2T.

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In early August, T2T staff, volunteers, and AmeriCorps harvested 2,500 lbs. of fresh Iowa sweetcorn from Kroul Farms. “We were out there for three or four hours probably, just trying to get as much as we could. We filled up every single box we had which ended up basically filling the entire van.” All 2,500 lbs. were distributed to the local pantries within 24 hours of harvest, providing neighbors with the delicious Iowa sweet corn that we all love so much. 

Plant Futures glean

Several members of the University of Iowa chapter of Plant Futures Initiative joined us for a glean at Chadek Community garden to harvest 50 lbs. of kale, peppers, cherry tomatoes, and more! The Plant Futures mission is to equip students to become the next generation of ethical leaders, system thinkers, and effective advocates for a plant-centric future for our planet, people, and animals.  “We just started the chapter at Iowa this year, but there are over 100 chapters across the US and Latin America,” Kaitlyn, a T2T fleet and facility volunteer and Plant Futures member said. Kaitlyn organized this opportunity for her and fellow members, gaining valuable experience and insight into food farming and harvesting.

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We closed out the 2025 gleaning season on November 5th, with a double glean where T2T staff, volunteers, and AmeriCorps members harvested a whopping 2,515 lbs. of produce from Kroul Farms and The Big Apple Orchard. Marking the end of a historic harvest season, it was a great way to celebrate everything accomplished through the teamwork and dedication or our staff and volunteers. 2025 Gleaning Season by the Numbers…

  • Most gleans in a single day: 4!
  • Number of farms/gardens harvested from: 25!
  • Most gleans in one week: 8!
  • Total lbs.harvested this season: 15,321!