Healthy eating is important during all stages in life: It helps children perform better in school, and helps older adults avoid chronic health issues. According to the Vermont Department of Health, poor diet is one of the three behaviors (including tobacco use and lack of exercise) that leads to four of the diseases (cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and lung disease) that account for 50% of deaths in the state. 

Willing Hands is the primary source of fresh food for most of our recipient organizations, which include food shelves, income-eligible housing, senior housing, and rehabilitation centers. By providing healthy, nutritious food, we offer an alternative to the highly processed and non-perishable foods normally found at food shelves. We also offer nutritious recipes and host cooking demonstrations that teach participants how to cook with the produce we deliver. 

Reducing Food Waste

Willing Hands believes in our shared responsibility to reduce waste and contribute to a sustainable environment. The USDA estimates that 30 to 40 percent of all food in the United States is wasted, never reaching the stomachs of people who need it. Not only is the food wasted, but the labor and energy resources required to grow, process, and transport the food are also lost. 

Due to unpredictable weather and markets, Upper Valley farms, bakeries, and grocery stores generate surplus. Thanks to strong partnerships with local farms and businesses, Willing Hands recovers the surplus through daily, year-round pick-ups and seasonal gleans. Our volunteer gleaning crews harvest surplus produce from fields and orchards, ensuring these valuable foods are available to eat rather than left to biodegrade.

With the help of more than 200 volunteers, our gleaning program recovered nearly 51,000 pounds of produce in 2020. Additionally, we recovered 600,000 pounds of healthy food from grocery stores, wholesalers, and local businesses.