LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – The Arboretum will be donating produce from one of its own gardens to people facing food insecurity.
The donations are through an ongoing partnership with Glean Kentucky.
UK officials say the Arboretum has already donated more than 1,100 pounds of produce this year to GleanKY to help feed local community members in need.
GleanKY works by redistributing safe-to-eat surplus from farmers, grocery stores, farmers markets and other sources of fresh food.
“For many of our recipient sites, GleanKY is either their primary or only source of fresh produce,” said Merlin Lee, director of digital and community engagement at GleanKY. “The need has really exploded, especially over the summer. Some of our partners went from 80 households being a large number to serve in a day, to now 120 to 130 homes being a slow day for them.“
Lee said GleanKY works with several partners to help with food distribution. They have around 30 partnerships in the Central Kentucky area, and 50 statewide. In addition to Lexington, the organization has programs in Frankfort, Woodford County and Millersburg, to name a few.
“One of the things that is unique about us, we can receive a call in the morning from a farm partner and within a few hours we will organize a team of volunteers to go harvest if needed and then deliver to the recipients,” Lee said.
GleanKY officials urge anyone seeking food support or have interest in accessing fresh produce to contact them by emailing info@gleanky.org or calling (859) 444-4769.
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