If not now, when? Glean Kentucky – Opportunity for our Neighbors

Author: Hope Boyd

For our next special Community Initiative, the Oldham County Community Foundation Advisory Board members are partnering with the non-profit Glean Kentucky to tackle both food insecurity and food waste, simultaneously, in our county. (Click here to see Glean’s ten year report.)

A report called “Ending Food Insecurity: It Will Take Us All,” published in partnership by the Lift a Life Novak Family Foundation and the Community Foundation of Louisville, states: “(Food insecurity) affects our neighbors, co-workers, friends, and families.  It is more than hunger.  Food insecurity affects working families and seniors and is not limited to those living below the poverty line; in recent months it has grown to be a daily experience for far more of our neighbors than we could have imagined pre-pandemic.  Others cope with it for a short time… a simple life change, job loss, increased educational expenses, or unexpected home or auto repairs can lead to food insecurity.” 

Glean Kentucky goes beyond just supplying feeding agencies with much-needed food.  They also find neighborhood ambassadors, within impacted neighborhoods, to hand deliver produce to those who are unable to leave their homes or may be without transportation. These neighborhood ambassadors are the bridge between food insecurity and the solution.

Our partnership with Glean Kentucky during this growing season could mean healthier food and healthier outcomes for those who, generally, can only afford the least healthy options. It could also provide Glean with the opportunity to expand their service into additional regions, and much like Fayette and Warren, result in many more people being fed. Additionally, many of the feeding agencies within these counties also report saving more money.

We have already received strong commitment from other funders for our partnership, and we are very grateful for their support:

The Humana Foundation

Oldham County Fiscal Court

Norton Healthcare Foundation

JP Morgan Chase Foundation

Generous “Friends of Oldham County”

Sociable Weaver Foundation

We are as close to getting our Glean Kentucky initiative off the ground as we are to the growing season. And the shift from idea to reality comes right down to momentum and funding.  We’re just missing a few bold partners who understand that their participation will influence our ability to solve the pervasive food logistics problem that exists within Oldham County.

If not now, when?