RUTHS GLEANINGS
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Mission Statement
Ruth's Gleanings empowers people in nutritional poverty by increasing access to fresh, healthy food.
About This Cause
Our mission is to empower people in nutritional poverty by increasing access to fresh, healthy food. We do this through two programs. First is our signature gleaning program, where we bridge the gap between food waste and nutritional poverty by rescuing excess healthy, fresh food and distributing it to organization who serve those in need. This is done at no cost to donors or recipients. The second program is called FoodShare. This program is a healthy fresh produce box that is aggregated and distributed bi-weekly through marketing and sales of the food at wholesale cost. It is geared for low-income and SNAP/EBT participants. FoodShare was launched fully in January, 2019. Our organization is largely volunteer driven and supported. We partner with other businesses and organizations as well to utilize their staff and financial support to prepare and run the foodbox program. Ruth’s Gleanings addresses the public health issue of obesity and overweight, as well as chronic disease and poverty. Evidence shows that obesity and chronic disease, including diabetes and hypertension, are highly correlated. Our food box program impacts each of these indicators by increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables to combat the prevailing issues. A major obstacle to desired lifestyle changes is the cost associated with making and maintaining healthy food choices. With our FoodShare food box program, we address the cost associated with making and maintaining healthy food choices, as well as physical location barriers to fresh food that exist in food deserts. We are located in a food desert, and we have multiple partner sites that distribute throughout Spartanburg County. Ruth's Gleanings, located in the Northside of Spartanburg, serves low-income families throughout Spartanburg County, with ever-increasing numbers through increased partner sites as well as our new packing/distribution facility in Pacolet, SC. Our gleaning program serves partner organizations throughout Spartanburg County who also serve those in need. Through our FoodShare program, residents are offered the opportunity to purchase a Fresh Food Box for $5 using their SNAP/EBT card or $15 cash. For SNAP participants, we match the remaining $10 through SC’s SNAP Healthy Bucks Program. The retail value of the food box is approximately $20-$30. The participant doubles their purchasing power and essentially receives wholesale pricing thereby increasing discretionary income. And since the food is not a hand-out or free, it provides the resident with the dignity to provide for their family’s food needs. We are also providing education in the community for healthy eating. Through a partnership with Clemson SNAP-Ed, healthy recipes are put in the FoodShare boxes that correspond with the types of fruits and vegetables contained in each box. In addition, through a partnership with the American Heart Association other health information is being distributed with our boxes, such as blood pressure tips and stroke education. We partner with SRHS Diabetes department and the Spartanburg Regional Foundation has approved supporting their uninsured clients with FoodShare boxes. Partner sites take orders for FoodShare boxes from their clientele and distribute the boxes from their location, breaking down more barriers of access. Volunteers help us to pack the boxes every other week to prepare for distribution. This is a great team-building exercise for business employees or an edifying time for individuals to give back to their community. Our funding comes from individual donations, corporate sponsors, grants, foundations, churches, etc.. While we do receive payment from customers for their boxes, they are sold at wholesale price and therefore do not cover costs of food, supplies, and operations. We do what we do because we believe everyone deserves to make healthy choices in their lives and everyone should be invited to the table.