- Donating Food
- Other Donations
- Programs
- Gleaning
- Big Y Foodraiser
- Bountiful Bowls
- Agencies
- Food Donors
- Contact Us
- Coming Soon
Empowering young people to take an active role in fighting hunger.
Donating Food
Maybe you've ordered too much food for your catered event, or your child is organizing a food drive as a community service project, or you simply want to help your hungry neighbors by purchasing a few extra cans of food at the supermarket. Give Rachel's Table a call! We will make sure that your food gets to the people who need it most.
Other Donations
Although distributing food is our primary function, Rachel’s Table helps the community in other ways as well. You can make a monetary donation in honor of a loved one, bring in unused toiletries, or give us your extra Big Y gold coins and turkey coins. Every donation makes someone’s life a little bit easier.
Our Programs
Over the years, many generous people have created special projects to help feed the hungry. Find out specific ways you can help, or start a program of your own!
The Gleaning Project: Helping Harvest
Thanks to the generous support of our donors, Rachel’s Table brings young volunteers into the fields where they can harvest surplus produce from local farms and bring it directly to our agencies. In addition to feeding the hungry, the Gleaning Project educates the community about hunger, food security, and agriculture.
Big Y Foodraiser
Are you a savvy shopper? Put your skills to the test at our annual Big Y Foodraiser! Prizes are awarded to the most efficient shoppers, and of course all the purchased food goes straight to our agencies.
Bountiful Bowls
Every two years, Rachel’s Table hosts a gala event to raise the funds we need to help as many people as we can. Our next Bountiful Bowls will take place in the spring of 2013. Be sure to join us for an elegant, fun, and vitally important evening.
Agencies
Rachel’s Table distributes food to more than forty food pantries, shelters, and soup kitchens in Western Massachusetts. Learn more about our partner agencies and the wonderful work they do.
Food Donors
Our success depends upon the many restaurants, cafes, and supermarkets that donate their extra food. Find out who our donors are, and be sure to thank them next time you patronize them!
A project of the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts and WWLP-TV22
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Gleaning: Helping Harvest
Gleaning, which dates back to Biblical times, is the gathering of produce after harvest. Farmers are often unable to sell all of their produce, either because of imperfections or because they simply cannot harvest it all. The Gleaning Project works with youth and school groups to engage them in the service of collecting the excess produce and donating it to shelters and food pantries in the Greater Springfield area.
Rachel’s Table received grants from the B’nai Tzedek Youth Foundation and the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation to cover the cost of transportation and administration. Thanks to these grants, the Gleaning Project has harvested and donated over 20,000 pounds of produce over the past 4 years! The project has enabled more than 200 volunteers to experience both the joy of gleaning itself, and the satisfaction of donating the produce to over 15 agencies in Springfield, Holyoke, Northampton, and Amherst. Many farmers welcome the opportunity to donate excess produce that would otherwise have been thrown out; others donate salable produce simply out of kindness.
As one of the adult chaperones noted, gleaning is a great way to do Tikkun Olam – to help heal the world.
For more information, please contact Jessica Harwood at jnanharwood@gmail.com.
Youth and School Groups
- Beit Ahavah - Northampton
- Girl Scouts - Springfield and Belchertown
- Jewish Center of Amherst
- Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School - Springfield
- Unitarian Universalist Youth Group - Northampton
- JCC Camp
- University of Massachusetts
- All Saint’s Church in South Hadley
- Four Rivers Charter School
- Lander-Grinspoon Academy
- Heritage Academy
- Deerfield Academy
- Community Members
Types of Produce Gleaned
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Onions
- Winter Squash
- Potatoes
- Swiss Chard
- Apples
- Pears
- Carrots
- Turnips
- Parsnips
- Radishes
- Eggplant
- Kale
- Sweet Potatoes
- Lettuce
- Celeriac
- Beets
Participating Farms
- Brookfield Farm - Amherst, MA
- Harvest Farm - Whately, MA
- Atlas Farm - Deerfield, MA
- Bashista Orchards - Southampton, MA
- Small Ones Orchard - Amherst, MA
- Mountain Orchard - Granville, MA
- Easy Pickins - Enfield, CT
- Town Farm- Northampton, MA
Recipient Agencies
- Northampton Survival Center - Northampton, MA
- Kate's Kitchen - Holyoke, MA
- Salvation Army - Springfield, MA
- Springfield Rescue Mission - Springfield, MA
- Loaves and Fishes - Springfield, MA
- Gray House - Springfield, MA
- Worthington St. - Springfield, MA
- Not Bread Alone - Amherst, MA
- COA Granby, COA South Hadley, MA
- Gondara House, Springfield, MA
- Center for Self Reliance – Greenfield, MA
- Amherst Survival Center, Amherst, MA