We at the Gleaners have had a very productive 2021 year. So far we have shipped 16,372 bags of our dehydrated vegetable mix to a variety of countries around the world such as Venezuela, Nicaragua, The Dominican Republic, Guatemala, the Ukraine as well as our own Mustard Seed locally. At 120 cups per bag, this equals 1,964,640 cups.
As always, we could not possibly do this without our many local volunteers as well as our partners around the world such as East West Trucking out of Calgary for shipping our product to different ports enroute to the countries listed above. Also the NGO’s (Non-Governmental Organizations) around the world that distribute our product to the various countries such as Fellowship Aid & International Relief (FAIR), Global Emergency Missions Society (GEMS), Faith Missions out of Winkler, Manitoba and many others. Thank You!
Save the date
Our Annual Harvest Banquet is scheduled to take place at Hillcrest Church on October 23rd this year. Last year due to Covid-19 Restrictions, we had to cancel this event which is our major fundraising event of the year. Hopefully if we can reduce our case numbers we can go ahead this year. We have booked Phil Callaway as our guest speaker, and a generous donor has come forward to cover his expenses. He is going to be in Medicine Hat that weekend at another speaking event, which will help with his expenses.
Mortgage Burning
This year, we will officially be sole owners of the plant. It has only taken eleven years to pay the mortgage. More information will be forthcoming about this major event, so watch our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram as well as our Fall Newsletter and media announcements.
The Cherry Coulee Christian Academy has given us an $1800.00 grant through their Youth in Philanthropy (TIP) program. Also we have received the Community Spirit Award this past week, and it is very gratifying to know that the community is recognizing the work we do.
We are open for business, and following the Alberta Health and Health Canada guidelines for Covid-19. We are once again wearing masks, signing in on a daily basis so that if an issue arises, we know who to contact, washing hands, gloves (optional), as well as social distancing.
We have been receiving a variety of vegetables lately such as broccoli, celery, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, green beans and will once again be receiving onions at some point.
If you attended our AGM (Annual General Meeting) in March of this year, you would have heard from President Ed Codding about our need for some major work to be done at the plant. The CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) is going to be doing an evaluation of our plant, and we already know that they are going to be making some serious demands on us as far as air quality and in general HVAC considerations. A few of us Board Members are going to be taking the Food Safe Course offered by the Medicine Hat College in September as this is also a CFIA requirement. At the board level, we have been in discussions about how we can possibly make the necessary adjustments to the plant that are going to be required as well as make the plant a more efficient operation. We have been discussing an expansion and renovation of the plant, for quite some time now, and the Prairie Gleaner’s Board is 100% unanimously behind this project.
If you have had the opportunity to drive by the plant, or have been volunteering with us lately you would notice that our semi-trailers and sea cans have been moved to the front of the building. This is due to the fact that we are in need of making room for storing our barrels of vegetable mix, and other valuable materials as we make room for the expansion that is underway shortly.
We have an anonymous local partner who has agreed to give us enough startup financing so we can begin our project on a good financial footing. The agreement is that this donor would provide funding for a 40’ by 100’pole-building that would replace the lean-to at the rear of the plant that could house our new dryers and allow us to make the plant much more efficient. The intention is that this donor would finance the shell of the building and concrete floor and we would then be responsible for doing all of the interior work such as walls etc. Much more information will follow as the work proceeds.
We, the Board of the Gleaners have been actively praying for God’s intervention in this matter. We are asking you to join us in prayer regarding our financial resources. You can also make a donation if you feel so inclined through our website by clicking here, or by sending a cheque or bringing a cheque to the plant at the address below. If you are at all interested in making monthly donations through your bank to the Gleaners contact the office at the phone number below, or by doing an eTransfer. Don’t forget to check our Facebook page and website and Instagram as listed below for current plant activities.
