This is a curated collection of AGO resources from our members designed to share the business basics that you will need to know before you start gleaning. These basics include information on Legal & Liability, Food Safety and Fundraising. In each section there are recommended presentations and optional presentations.
Food Safety
Gleaner Produce Safety Training (Recommended)
Legal & Liability
Legal Aspects Volunteer – Association of Gleaning Organizations. This presentation from 2021, the speaker from Farm Commons provides an interpretation of the law specific to volunteers.
Updates to Legal & Policy Resources – Association of Gleaning Organizations This presentation from the staff of the Vermont Law and Graduate School Center for Agriculture & Food Systems cover a range of legal aspects that impact gleaning.
The National Gleaning Project hosts a searchable library of links to regulations and policies for each state which govern gleaning and food recovery. Look up the regulations governing gleaning operations in your state here.
Fundraising 101
Fundraising 101 – Association of Gleaning Organizations Heather Keisler-Fornes of the Portland Fruit Tree Project provides an overview of fundraising for gleaning organizations from the 2021 Symposium. (Start at minute 9 to avoid the startup technical issues) This presentation discusses the distinction between donor centric vs. community centric fundraising. (Recommended)
Fundraising – Association of Gleaning Organizations Morgan Curry of Skagit Gleaners shares a wealth of great ideas to fundraise in your community as well as strategies for successful grant writing. This presentation is from the 2024 Symposium. (Recommended)
Partnering With AI: Build a Winning Grant. Lisa DeSantis of the Food Basket walks you through how to use ChatGPT to write a grant in real time. This presentation is from the 2025 Symposium. (Recommended)