Turning Surplus into Service: The Senior Gleaners of San Diego County

Senior Volunteers Harvest Goodness and Turn Surplus into Service | News | San Diego County News Center

For over three decades, a remarkable volunteer force of older adults has harvested millions of pounds of food — and discovered that the act of giving back is itself nourishing.

March 2026

On a cool winter morning in North San Diego County, a pickup truck rolls slowly past a field of unharvested crops. Two farmers and a retired minister stare at the ripening fruit going to waste while, just miles away, thousands of their neighbors go hungry. It is a scene repeated endlessly across California's most productive agricultural regions. But for these three men — Laurel Gray, Dene Hatch, and George Norton — the sight provoked not resignation but resolve.

That act of conscience, witnessed in the early 1990s, gave rise to one of the most quietly consequential volunteer organizations in San Diego County: the Senior Gleaners of San Diego County, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that, for more than thirty years, has been harvesting surplus produce and delivering it to families who need it most — while giving its senior volunteers a sense of purpose, connection, and vitality that no prescription can provide.

Origins: A Ministry of Food

The organization was formally founded on June 16, 1992, by Laurel Gray, a retired Lutheran minister, and farmers Dene Hatch and George Norton. Inspired by a similar gleaning program already operating in Sacramento, the trio modeled their effort on an ancient tradition: the biblical practice of leaving portions of a field's harvest for those without means to grow their own. The organization received its official 501(c)(3) designation from the IRS in 1994 and has since been recognized as one of the largest gleaning operations in San Diego County.

Gray, who served as board president for most of the years between 1992 and 2016 and remained on the board through 2020, was its driving force in those formative years. He solicited grants, mobilized church networks, and pursued philanthropic partnerships. His most significant fundraising achievement came in the late 1990s, when he secured a $200,000 bequest from the estate of North County dairyman E.J. Allen — a gift that has helped sustain the organization ever since. Gray, now himself elderly, continues to be among the organization's most generous financial donors and has included Senior Gleaners in his will.

"I rely on the gleaning crew to help me pick my trees. I donate in memory of my wife who planted them many years ago." — Leonard S., crop donor

What Gleaners Do: A Harvest of Generosity

The work of Senior Gleaners is elegantly simple. Volunteer crews — composed entirely of adults aged 55 and older — visit private backyards, orchards, farms, and grocery stores to collect surplus food that would otherwise go to waste. That food is then transported to approximately 75 food-distributing agencies throughout San Diego County, including organizations such as Interfaith Community Services, the San Diego Food Bank, Heaven's Windows, and Brother Benno Foundation.

Volunteers work three to four hours one day per week, though there are no required minimums. Some volunteers form small independent "mini-crews" that schedule their own gleaning sessions. A crew leader handles logistics, contacts homeowners, and coordinates pickups. New backyard volunteers receive a brief orientation before their first assignment; new grocery volunteers join established crews in either their own vehicles or one of the Senior Gleaners' vans.

The organization operates with remarkable efficiency: just two part-time paid staff members oversee the entire operation, with a volunteer board of directors meeting quarterly to review finances and strategy. This lean structure means that virtually all grant and donation funds go directly toward transporting and distributing food.

📊 Senior Gleaners by the Numbers

• • Founded: June 16, 1992  |  IRS 501(c)(3) status: 1994
• • Total pounds of food collected since founding: over 7 million pounds
• • Annual harvest (recent years): over 150,000 pounds per year
• • Active volunteers: more than 300
• • Distribution partners: approximately 75 food-giving agencies countywide
• • Paid staff: just 2 part-time employees
• • Transparency rating: Gold Seal from Candid (formerly GuideStar)

A Crisis They Are Helping to Meet

The need that Senior Gleaners addresses has never been more acute. According to the San Diego Hunger Coalition's March 2025 data release, more than one in four San Diegans — approximately 26 percent of the county's population — experience nutrition insecurity, meaning they are unable to provide themselves or their families with three nutritious meals per day. This level marks the first time since 2020 that the rate has surpassed 26%, with hunger essentially returning to pandemic-era levels. The San Diego Food Bank estimates that 848,000 county residents are nutrition insecure, among them 182,000 older adults aged 60 and above.

Communities with the highest need are often those with the least access to fresh, organic produce. National City — one of the county's most densely populated and economically challenged neighborhoods — exemplifies this food access gap. It is precisely these communities that benefit when Senior Gleaners crews deliver crates of freshly picked citrus, stone fruit, avocados, and vegetables.

Importantly, the organization addresses food waste as well as food insecurity. By redirecting produce that would otherwise decompose in backyards or end up in landfills, Senior Gleaners reduces methane gas emissions — a double environmental dividend. Homeowners who donate their crops receive tax deduction receipts and are spared the labor of harvesting, making the transaction a genuine win for everyone involved.

Not Just Feeding Others — Feeding the Soul

Perhaps what is most remarkable about Senior Gleaners is what the work does for its volunteers themselves. Aging researchers have long documented the physical and psychological benefits of purposeful activity, outdoor exercise, and social engagement for older adults. Senior Gleaners delivers all three simultaneously.

Volunteer Duane Jensen was recently profiled by the UC San Diego Health Stein Institute for Research on Aging — the region's premier academic center for healthy aging science — as a living testament to the vitality that gleaning can provide. The Stein Institute, which in 2025 launched an expanded Emerging Scholars program providing pilot funding for healthy aging research, has highlighted volunteering and social connection as evidence-based strategies for maintaining physical and cognitive health in later life.

Board member Daryush Bastani, who began gleaning in 2017 after retiring from Verizon Wireless, describes the work in terms of lifelong values. "All my life, I have wanted to make an impact on other people's lives," he has said. Board member Margaret Burton, who has served as board president, once explained her motivation with characteristic simplicity: collecting fruit for people who need it "keeps me motivated."

"Why I like gleaning: It's useful, fun, outdoors, reduces waste, feeds people. When picking I'm enmeshed in layers of generosity: from those who grow the food; from pickers who give time, work, gas; from distributors; and from many recipients who share the food with family and neighbors." — Anne G.S., Senior Gleaners volunteer

Recent Growth and Recognition

In recent years, demand for Senior Gleaners' services has intensified dramatically. Following heavy winter rains in early 2024 that delayed picking schedules, the organization found itself with hundreds of fruit trees awaiting harvest — particularly in East County and the Fallbrook area. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported in February 2024 that the group was urgently seeking additional volunteers to prevent fruit from rotting on the branch.

The organization has also recently achieved the Gold Seal of Transparency from Candid, the nonprofit accountability organization (formerly GuideStar). This distinction reflects Senior Gleaners' commitment to financial transparency and organizational best practices — an important assurance for donors and grant-makers alike. The Legacy Endowment has awarded the organization a $2,000 grant to supplement a Parker Foundation grant, with funds earmarked for expanding capacity in far northern San Diego County.

Senior Gleaners is formally affiliated with the San Diego County Office of Aging and Independent Services, embedding it within the county's broader infrastructure for supporting older adults.

Leadership: Volunteers Leading Volunteers

The governing board of Senior Gleaners reflects the diversity of San Diego's professional community, with members drawing on backgrounds in physics, pharmaceutical toxicology, human resources, software, and community advocacy. Board member Arlene Hasegawa, who holds a physics degree from San Diego State University and built a career at companies such as Dexcom, Qualcomm, and Cymer, joined in 2023 after retiring. "We live in one of the most productive farming regions in the county," she has observed, "but sadly have tons of food going to landfills annually while 25 percent of the residents remain food insecure." Vice president Daryush Bastani, board member Josef Strasser (a retired pharmaceutical toxicologist), and others bring complementary expertise to the organization's operations and outreach.

How to Join: A Low-Barrier Path to Purpose

🌿 Become a Senior Gleaner

Eligibility: Volunteers must be 55 years of age or older. No prior experience is required, and no documents are needed at signup.

Time commitment: Most volunteers work 3–4 hours one day per week. There are no required minimums. Some form their own small crews with flexible self-set schedules.

How it works: After registering online, a crew leader contacts you, assigns you to a gleaning event, and provides a brief orientation. New grocery store volunteers join an existing crew; new backyard volunteers are introduced to the homeowner's property logistics before picking begins.

Guest policy: Minor guests are welcome but must be at least five years old and must submit a waiver.

To register:

• 🌐 www.seniorgleanerssdco.org
• 📞 (619) 633-9180
• 📧 info@seniorgleanerssdco.org
• 📬 P.O. Box 600521, San Diego, CA 92160

To donate a crop: Homeowners with fruit trees or gardens can contact Senior Gleaners through the same channels. You will receive a tax deduction receipt, and a crew will handle the harvest at no cost to you.

To support financially: Donations can be made securely at secure.qgiv.com/for/seniorgleanersofsandiego.

Conclusion: An Ancient Idea, Renewed Every Season

The word "gleaning" reaches back to antiquity — to harvest fields intentionally left incomplete so the poor could gather what remained. The Senior Gleaners of San Diego County have updated that tradition for the twenty-first century, replacing ancient fields with suburban backyards and grocery store back rooms, and replacing an obligation imposed by law with one freely chosen by conscience.

The word "gleaning" reaches back not merely to agricultural tradition but to sacred text. In the Book of Ruth, the widowed Moabite Ruth follows her mother-in-law Naomi to Bethlehem and, to survive, gleans barley from the fields of a landowner named Boaz — gathering what the reapers leave behind. The practice she relied upon was enshrined in Mosaic law: Leviticus 19:9–10 and Deuteronomy 24:19–21 explicitly commanded Israelite farmers to leave the corners of their fields unharvested and not to return for forgotten sheaves — reserving the remainder for the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the stranger. 

Gleaning was not charity in the modern sense of a passive handout; it required the poor to do the labor of harvesting, preserving their dignity while ensuring their survival. That founder Laurel Gray was a Lutheran minister suggests the biblical lineage of the organization's name was no accident. Three thousand years later, the Senior Gleaners of San Diego County are practicing the same covenant — redirecting abundance toward need, honoring the labor of those who give and those who receive, and building provision for the vulnerable directly into the rhythms of community life. 

In a county where more than 800,000 people face hunger — including 182,000 older adults — and where mountains of perfectly edible fruit rot in untended yards each season, the Senior Gleaners represent one of the most direct, efficient, and human-centered solutions available. Seven million pounds of food rescued. Three hundred active volunteers. Thirty-plus years of uninterrupted service. And a community that is, season by season, a little more nourished — in every sense of the word.

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Sources and References

1. Senior Gleaners of San Diego County. About Us. Official website. Retrieved March 2026. https://seniorgleanerssdco.org/about/
2. Senior Gleaners of San Diego County. Home Page. Official website. Retrieved March 2026. https://seniorgleanerssdco.org/
3. Senior Gleaners of San Diego County. Board of Directors and Staff. Official website. Retrieved March 2026. https://seniorgleanerssdco.org/board-of-directors/
4. Senior Gleaners of San Diego County. Contact Information. Official website. Retrieved March 2026. https://seniorgleanerssdco.org/contact/
5. McIntosh, Linda. "Senior Gleaners Swamped with Requests to Pick Fruit to Bring to Area Charities, Volunteers Needed." San Diego Union-Tribune, February 16, 2024. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/local/story/2024-02-16/
6. Lightfoot, Anita (County of San Diego Communications Office). "Senior Volunteers Harvest Goodness and Turn Surplus into Service." County News Center, 2024. https://www.countynewscenter.com
7. Candid (GuideStar). Senior Gleaners of San Diego County Profile. Retrieved March 2026. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/33-0571701
8. VolunteerMatch / Idealist. Senior Gleaners of San Diego County Organization Listing. Retrieved March 2026. https://www.volunteermatch.org/search/org262887.jsp
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10. San Diego Hunger Coalition. Research Reports: September 2025 Data Release & Analysis. Retrieved March 2026. https://www.sdhunger.org/research-reports
11. Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank. Hunger Facts & Research. (Citing San Diego Hunger Coalition, March 2025.) Retrieved March 2026. https://www.sandiegofoodbank.org/about/hunger-facts-research/
12. Feeding San Diego. Hunger in San Diego: Map the Meal Gap. (Citing Feeding America 2025 data.) Retrieved March 2026. https://feedingsandiego.org/hunger-in-san-diego/
13. UC San Diego Health, Stein Institute for Research on Aging. Home Page. Retrieved March 2026. https://healthyaging.ucsd.edu/index.html
14. UC San Diego Health, Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology & Palliative Care. Home Page (Geriatrics ranked #18 nationally, U.S. News & World Report 2025–2026). Retrieved March 2026. https://gerigeropal.ucsd.edu/
15. I Love to Glean (Karen Clay). History of TO Glean – Gleaning in San Diego County. January 2024. https://ilovetoglean.org/history/
16. Senior Gleaners of San Diego County. Online Donation Portal. https://secure.qgiv.com/for/seniorgleanersofsandiego/