By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
A new initiative to recover unused crops and fight food waste is taking root in the Memphrémagog region this summer. Launched by the Comité sécurité alimentaire Memphrémagog (CéSAM), the “Seconde Récolte Memphré” gleaning project seeks to collect surplus fruits and vegetables left behind in fields and redistribute them to local residents, volunteers, and food banks.
“This project is environmental, social, and deeply human,” said Léonie Gamache, the new project coordinator hired by CéSAM to lead the initiative. “It helps recover valuable food, supports food security, and strengthens relationships between citizens and local producers.”
Gleaning—an age-old practice of recovering leftover crops post-harvest—takes on a structured and community-focused form in this pilot program. Speaking with The Record, Gamache explained that the idea is to “make sure that we don’t waste any food directly in the field.” With nearly 400 local producers in the region, she noted, the potential impact is significant.
“There was already another project in the area that was slowing down, but the committee really wanted to implement something sustainable because they saw a big need,” she said. “This is a brand-new idea with a structure around it.”
The model is simple but effective: when farmers anticipate having crops they cannot harvest—due to time, labour shortages, or because the produce is slightly blemished or overly abundant—they can contact the project team. Volunteers are then gathered and dispatched to harvest the surplus produce. The bounty is divided evenly: one-third goes to the farmer, one-third to the volunteers, and one-third to the Memphrémagog Food Bank.
“It’s just going out and harvesting in the field—saving food that’s not going to be sold,” Gamache said. “Sometimes the farmers don’t have enough employees to go out there, or the fruit and vegetables are a bit ugly, but still perfectly good to eat or to transform into sauces or preserves.”
