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It was once said that "kindness is the golden chain by which society is bound together." For the employees at Rural Ministry, kindness comes in helping to meet the needs of the homeless, working poor and disenfranchised in Chautauqua County.

As part of Rural Ministry's volunteer outreach, Cornell Cooperative Extension recently volunteered to assist Rural Ministry with its Gleaning Project. This project, overseen by Chautauqua County Rural Ministry, is a collaborative effort between local growers and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County.

The team gleaned a total of 3,160 pounds of corn from a single acre (about eight rows), making it the largest single gleaning event of this season. With help from other volunteers, all the harvested corn was distributed to the Salvation Army's St. Agnes Home, Safe House of Chautauqua County, St. Susan Center, Food Bank of Western New York, Neighbor to Neighbor Food Pantry (Forestville), Joint Neighborhood Project (Jamestown), Salvation Army of Dunkirk, Union Gospel Mission, Brocton-Portland Food Pantry, and Area Christian Action Council (Clymer, Sherman, & Findley Lake).

Gleaning gets its name from an age-old practice when farmers would leave some of their harvest behind for the poor to gather and use. Today, volunteers from all walks of life harvest the crops which are then distributed to 60 sites including food pantries, soup kitchens, low-income housing units, day care centers and senior dining centers.

Some food is packaged and stored for winter distribution when demand for food is high.

This project helps to reduce waste while providing fresh, healthy food for those in need. It also fosters positive societal values of conservation, reducing waste, sharing, caring and community service.

The Chautauqua County Rural Ministry is a grassroots advocacy agency with a distinguished history of helping the less fortunate through community-driven programs. Cooperative Extension provides Chautauqua County residents low-cost, high-quality, and research-based programs in agriculture, the environment, youth development and human services. Together, the two agencies have worked to help those in need find adequate food, shelter, and clothing, along with information on nutrition, food safety and resource management.

To help in the Gleaning Project, contact Rural Ministry at (716) 366-1787.