SOMERSET COUNTY, MD - Volunteers joined the Society of St. Andrew's Delmarva office for a butternut squash gleaning event on a farm in Somerset County on Friday morning.
The Society of St. Andrew started in Accomack County on Virginia's Eastern Shore in 1979 to fight hunger. It has since expanded to ten offices nationwide, partnering with hundreds of organizations to donate food to those in need.
Volunteers collect fresh produce through a practice called gleaning.
"It's actually from the Old Testament," Society of St. Andrew's Delmarva Program Coordinator Alena Wright said. "It's a very old concept that was just a way of life for lots of people."
The Society of St. Andrew modernizes the concept, allowing the gleaned food to benefit more people.
"We come out here and we're able to distribute it still within the county, but to people who maybe don't have transportation or aren't in the community where the food is grown," Wright said.
The group has hosted close to 600 events in 2025 alone, including many gleanings of local farms.
Diane Jentilet first volunteered with the Society of St. Andrew on Delmarva to glean corn in the summer. She said the experience fosters a greater appreciation for farm-fresh food.
"We don't even know where it comes from," Jentilet said of food purchased at chain grocers. "So, it's nice to get a little more connected to where the food is coming from."
Organizers with the Delmarva office of the Society of St. Andrew told WBOC many of the pantries they partner with have reported double or triple the number of families in need over recent months.
Knowing how to cook produce like butternut squash can limit access for some people, especially in communities with high levels of food insecurity.
Diamond Nwaeze is a 4-H STEM agent for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Extension program. She recently began partnering with the Society of St. Andrew.
"Teach youth how not only to volunteer within their communities but also how to kind of upcycle the food that they do get," Nwaeze said.
The Society of St. Andrews hosts gleaning events year-round. All are welcome to volunteer. More information can be found on the group's website and Facebook page.