Causes: Food, Food, Agriculture & Nutrition, Food Programs, Human Services

Mission: GLEANING AMERICA'S FIELDS - FEEDING AMERICA'S HUNGRY. Founded in 1979.20 to 40 million pounds of fresh produce is saved each year by the Society of St. Andrew (SoSA) and donated to feed the hungry nationwide. SoSA's Gleaning Network uses tens of thousands of volunteers to glean farmers' fields and orchards after harvest for nutritious produce that would otherwise be plowed under or left to rot. SoSA's Potato & Produce Project salvages truckloads of perfectly good but commercially unmarketable potatoes and other produce donated by members of the agricultural community. All of this food is then delivered and donated to food banks, pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other critical service agencies in the 48 contiguous states. These agencies, in turn, distribute the food directly to the needy. SoSA's Harvest of Hope program educates people about the hunger problem and encourages them to make lifelong commitments to being part of the solution. The Society of St. Andrew is a faith-based ecumenical nonprofit organization adhering to the highest standards of good stewardship. It maintains an operational overhead of under 10%, resulting in more than 90 cents of every donated dollar going directly to providing food for the hungry.

Target demographics: hungry Americans

Direct beneficiaries per year: tens of millions of people

Geographic areas served: United States - 48 contiguous states

Programs: 100 million servings of fresh fruits and vegetables