Gleaning in Divided Times: What Happens When We Work Together

Let’s be real: the world feels very divided right now. Turn on any news station or scroll your feed, and it can seem like everyone’s shouting over fences instead of sharing across them. But here’s what’s wild: put a group of strangers under an apricot tree, hand them a bucket, and something changes.

They talk. They laugh. They find common ground.

When I was a child, one principle was always present. My grandpa always made enough to feed an army, a skill he picked up as a cook in the Navy. It never mattered that we were more food insecure than anyone around. We knew where to look for free food everywhere. We harvested fish and seafood, we tagged big game for venison, we even foraged mushrooms for extra income selling to restaurants. My earliest and best memories are of my family feeding the community. No matter who showed up at my house or how long they stayed, nobody ever went without food.

Gleaning has this quiet superpower: it brings people together. It doesn’t matter if you vote red or blue, drive a Subaru or a tractor, live in the foothills or a rental duplex. Out in a field or yard, with juice dripping down your arm and a breeze on your face, people remember they’re neighbors.

We’ve seen:

• Retirees teaching college kids how to prune.

• Kids hauling crates next to local business owners.

• Tree owners making new friends they wouldn’t have met otherwise.

No shouting. Just harvesting. And in a world that feels noisy and angry, that kind of peace feels radical.

So, next time you’re tired of division, come pick pears with us. It’s not just about fruit. It’s about finding our way back to each other.

In a world full of ciaos, let’s build community.