Grocery Gleaning- Giving Out of Our Overage!

Have you heard of the concept of  “gleaning“? Basically this is when farmers would intentionally leave the rest of their harvest for the poor, widows and orphans to collect. A while back during some of my reading, I began to think about how this would look today. And of course my couponing came to mind.  While many are on tight budgets, some have been blessed with the resources to take advantage of the types of deals I post each week.  Our country’s economic situation is making it increasingly difficult for many families to do the same. My church has participated in several food drives for the Worthington Food Pantry. I live in a fairly “wealthy” suburb, but I was shocked at the percentage of hunger right in my own backyard. Situational poverty (ie, loss of jobs) has changed the face of hunger in cities across the nation.

So what can we do?  We can “give out of our overage”.  Use your couponing for good! 🙂 I know many of you already do, but I want us all to become more intentional and less selfish about it. I think this also has touched a nerve in me with all of the Extreme Couponing TV show hype. Is it really necessary to have a year supply (or more!) of pasta or TP? Or even a 6 month supply?  Don’t we know those deals will cycle through again?

All this rambling leads to a vision. Each week my Grocery Gleaning post will include deals at stores that are cheap, free or money makers and appropriate for donation. The Mid-Ohio Food Bank has provided a great “Most Wanted” list to help direct our purchases. Looking for where to donate these items? Of course the two locations I have mentioned; Worthington Food Pantry and Mid-Ohio Food Bank are great location here in Columbus.  Or use the Feeding America widget below to find a donation center near you.

The goal is to encourage one another to give out of our abundance.  Watch for my first Grocery Gleaning Deals post very soon!