After the harvest is through, gleaners are combing farm fields to feed the newly hungry

Gleaners⁠—volunteers that comb the fields of farms after harvest for excess food⁠—have been busy during the pandemic, harvesting thousands of pounds of food to donate to local food banks, The New York Times reports. Food shortages have been rampant during the last few months, with restaurants, schools, and other typically accessible food sources closing down. The shutdown has impacted suppliers as well: With fewer stores to sell their products to, farmers have been destroying their crops and other fresh food that was set to be shipped out to large buyers. That’s where the gleaners come in. Volunteer groups such as After the Harvest and GleanSLO have been hard at work refocusing their attention to the needs of the public, even receiving grants to continue their work.