Volunteers gather fresh food for Central Florida families amid pandemic

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — With so many families in need across Central Florida amid the coronavirus pandemic, a group of volunteers spent Thursday morning in the fields making sure fresh food doesn’t go to waste.

Channel 9 went to Long and Scott Farms in Lake County where people are doing what they can to help others put food on the table.

Eyewitness News watched as volunteers did what’s called gleaning, which is a biblical term that means collecting what’s left over from harvest to help feed the needy.

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“It’s the food that the farmers have done their harvest and then we go in and pick what they have decided they’re not going to sell,” said Kelly Sizelove of Society of St. Andrew.

Volunteers with the Society of St. Andrew didn’t let the rain keep them from helping those in need.

Usually dozens of volunteers are picking the left over crops to take them to food banks, but with social distancing guidelines the group had to be much smaller.

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Thursday’s gleaning headed to the Farm Workers Association in Apopka and transported with the help of WELBRO Building Corporation. They’ve donated the trucks to move the product to those who need it.

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