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Gleaning Abundance Program
Gleaning Abundance Program
The Gleaning Abundance Program brings people together to help harvest our local abundance of fruit and vegetables and share it with the greater community. Produce that might have gone to waste becomes a welcome source of fresh food for many who might otherwise go without.
Our main focus is fruit trees, but we also glean farms and gardens. People with an overabundance of produce get their crops harvested, our volunteers get free fresh-picked produce, and local community groups receive fruit and vegetables for their clients and programs.
Join us!
Join us!
Have fun, meet new people and take home fresh produce! Join the Gleaning Abundance Program to receive email notifications about upcoming harvests and other food action opportunities.
General Gleaning Volunteer: Sign up for and attend harvests. As harvests become available, you will be sent an email where you can sign up to attend. Volunteers get to take home a portion of the gleaned fruit from each harvest.
Scouter: Scouting is the process where we assess a property before arranging its harvest. It is important that the properties we glean are safe and accessible, and we must also make sure the fruit is ripe and ready to be picked. The scouting process involves visiting the property, taking notes on the tree and yard, and reporting this information to the GAP Coordinator.
Please note: This role requires more commitment than the General Gleaner volunteer role, as well as excellent communication skills. Please express your interest if you have the capacity to volunteer independently and reliably. Scouter, distributer, and harvest leader roles require that you have your full drivers license and your own vehicle.
Distributor: Distribution is the process where we share our abundance of harvested produce with the community. This role involves delivering boxes of gleaned produce to local organicated and food insecure clients following each harvest.
Please note: This role requires more commitment than the General Gleaner volunteer role, as well as excellent communication skills. Please express your interest if you have the capacity to volunteer independently and reliably. Scouter, distributer, and harvest leader roles require that you have your full drivers license and your own vehicle.
Harvest Leader: Harvest leaders are trusted volunteers who will fully facilitate GAP harvests on the ground. Responsibilities include: Driving our GAP van to the harvest location, set up/tear down of equipment, volunteer supervision, weighing and reporting of total harvest, and returning gleaned produce to storage.
Harvest leaders must have experience as a GAP volunteer, an understanding of stafety procedures, communication and leadership skills, and the confidence/proficiency to drive a large vehicle.
Please note: This role requires more commitment than the General Gleaner volunteer role, as well as excellent communication skills. Please express your interest if you have the capacity to volunteer independently and reliably. Scouter, distributer, and harvest leader roles require that you have your full drivers license and your own vehicle.
Register your tree or garden:
Register your tree or garden:
We can help you share your abundance! Register your tree or garden to have a volunteer crew pick your produce and share it with the community. Before we schedule a harvest we will call you to get additonal details regarding your tree or garden.
2025 GAP Survey Outcomes and Testimonials
2025 GAP Survey Outcomes and Testimonials
In December 2025, we asked GAP participants to give us feedback on the program in our Harvest and Workshop Survey. Click here to read about the tangible changes we will be making to the program in the 2026 season!
14,911 Lbs
of Fruit and vegetables gleaned in 2025!
209,911 Lbs
of fruit and vegetables gleaned since 2013!
Be Bear Aware
Be Bear Aware
It's normal for bears to travel through our community for several reasons such as accessing natural food sources or relocating to areas included in their natural home range. However, when bears begin to utilize human-provided food sources in a community, it creates the potential for human-bear conflict.
Caring For Our Trees
Caring For Our Trees
While many trees are pruned for either aesthetic and/or maintenance purposes, fruit trees are pruned for optimal growth and production. If not well maintained, they can easily become a burden to homeowners who may opt for complete removal over remediation. To avoid the loss of these valuable community assets, we at the GAP have put together some resources to give people to confidence to tackel some of the maintenance on their own. The benefits to this care can be seen in increased crop production and resilience to ever changing weather patterns.
There are generally two times of year that you should prune your fruit trees. Structural or remedial work is done in late winter/early spring before the buds have opened and the sap starts running. This involves the removal of larger limbs to improve the overall shape and structure, and should be your first step when restoring trees that are damaged, overgrown, or neglected. During the summer months is when we refine the structure of the tree. This iscludes removing dead or vertical branches and training lateral branches to encourage fruit growth.
Pruning Info & Resources
Pruning Info & Resources
Click below to find videos and resources on pruning your trees:
FREE ONLINE PERMACULTURE COURSE FOR BEGINNERS
TIPS FOR SELECTING & GROWING FRUIT IN ZONES 3 & 4
PRUNE-ALONG REMEDIATION OF AN UNMAINTAINED APPLE TREE
Integrated Pest Management
Integrated Pest Management
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a system that was created in order to help reduce our reliance on noxious pesticides. Benefits include reduced pesticide use, lower costs and less exposure to harmful chemicals. By using cultural, mechanical, and biological control measures we are able to manage pests while creating healthier agricultural practices.
Food Outreach Partners
Food Outreach Partners
The GAP donates food to community organizations who share the fruit through their programs. Our partners include:
Ask Wellness | The Mustard Seed | The Kamloops Food Bank | The Mount Paul Community Food Centre
Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society | Kikekyelc: A Place of Belonging | Kamloops Immigrant Services
Kamloops reach | BGC Kamloops | Kamloops Brain Injury Association | Kamloops United Church/PITStop
Secwepemc Museum and Heritage Park | Lii Michif Otipemisiwak | Skeetchestn Indian Band
Centre for Seniors Information/BC Interior Society | Family Tree Centre | A Way Home Kamloops
If your organization would like to partner with the GAP, please contact gleaning@kamloopsfoodpolicycouncil.com
Donate to the GAP
Donate to the GAP
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