History

Nancy Wood and Lorain Francis founded the KCG in 2019 to help connect local farmers with our food insecure neighbors in Knox County. Nancy is the SNAP Ed Nutrition Educator for Knox County. She teaches cooking and nutrition classes in schools, food pantries, soup kitchens, and senior residences with an emphasis on creating healthy meals on a budget. Lorain Francis is the former Program Director of AmeriCorps Seniors, a community service program for senior volunteers, administered by Penquis Community Action Agency in Knox County.

A generous grant from the The Harvard Pilgrim Foundation and Penquis allowed Nancy and Lorain to develop the infrastructure necessary for the KCG to begin its gleaning program. The KCG work with farmers, gardeners, and orchard owners who want to share their surplus bounty with their food insecure neighbors in Knox County. Our volunteers collect and clean, and then distribute surplus food to a variety of sites including food pantries, soup kitchens, libraries, senior homes, and other community hubs. Our gleaning efforts reduce food waste in farms, gardens, and orchards, and increase food security by distributing healthy, locally grown food throughout Knox County.

Leadership

KCG Advisory

  • Dori Harnett

  • Michelle Fong

  • Necole Janczura

  • Joelle Albury

  • Jackie Wheelwright

Volunteers

The mission of the KCG could not be achieved without the support of our volunteers. We are forever grateful to our volunteers who glean fields, clean crops, distribute food, and work behind the scenes to make the KCG a great success. We welcome individuals and groups who would like to reduce food waste and increase food security in Knox County. Click here to learn more and enroll as a volunteer.