As part of its continuing series of forums, "Building Sustainable Communities," Post Oil Solutions will host Theresa Snow, the Vermont Foodbank's Program Director of Agricultural Resources, and respresentatives from POS, who will talk about thieir partnership to make gleaning a reality in the greater Windham County area.

This event will take place Wednesday, May 20, 7:00 PM, in Room 2 East, Marlboro College Grad Center, 28 Vernon Street, Brattleboro.

The forum will be a presentation on the Vermont Foodbank's Salvation Farms Gleaning Network, and the way it's being instituted in the Southeast region of the state. This will include a discussion of how area citizens can get involved.

The Salvation Farms Gleaning Network, a Vermont Foodbank program, has a mission to harvest excess farm produce through gleaning, which is the act of salvaging surplus produce that would otherwise go to waste. This is accomplished while establishing state-wide, local/community based links between farms and Vermonters-in-need through the network partners of the Vermont Foodbank, and providing a service and viable business solution to Vermont farmers. The Vermont Foodbank achieves this program mission by hiring Field Coordinators to facilitate regional gleaning groups. This entails building relationships with area farms, recruiting and managing volunteers, as well as overseeing distribution of gleaned produce to sites in the region that serve the food insecure. Field Coordinators will promote the programs of the Vermont Foodbank as well as educate citizens about hunger and local food resources.

The gleaning partnership with the Vermont Foodbank is one of several initiatives by Post Oil's Food Security Project (FSP). Through such efforts as the local food partnership with Project Feed the Thousands, the SIT 2 acre Farm initiative at the School for International Training, community gardens and workshops in low income communities, forums on food justice, and a community food assessment, the FSP is working to fulfill its mission of making locally-produced food more accessible to people of low income.

As always, our forums are free, with donations to help support the work of Post Oil Solutions gratefully received. Light refreshments will be available. For further information: 802.869.2141