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About Us
Our members & volunteers
The Sweet Home Gleaners, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) Non-Profit Gleaning Organization with a Thrift Shop. The Thrift Shop is our main ongoing fundraiser. The money the thrift shop generates, donations, and fundraisers go towards paying the bills to keep the building open, so we are able to supply food for our low-income members. Donated food is provided to low-income families who are members of our gleaning organization. We are an all volunteer organization and everyone seen working in our thrift shop and helping with food distribution are not paid for their time. We accept clothing and household goods to sell in our Thrift Shop and offer a receipt to individuals and business donating to our organization.
Our history
The origin of The Sweet Home Gleaners, Inc., began in the early 1970's in Sweet Home, Oregon, by two women who worked for Head Start. These women were brought together by a need to help low-income families enrolled in the Head Start Program by feeding their families through local farm donations. Elenore Phillips began volunteering shortly after the start of the organization and later became the coordinator. A few years later, they opened the program up to low-income families and began operating in partnership with Community Services Consortium's Gleaning Program through Linn-Benton Food Share. In 1986, the organization was incorporated under the name "Sweet Home Gleaners and Emergency Food Bank" and acquired our 501(c) 3 status. Later that year the name was changed to The Sweet Home Gleaners, Inc. During Elenore's time with our organization, we were able to acquire our existing building.
Since that time, our gleaning program has grown to support the nutritional needs for low-income families throughout East Linn County. We serve members from Cascadia through the east side of Lebanon and Brownsville to the Scio/Lacomb area. We have members from newborn to 99 years of age. The key difference between Gleaners and food box agencies is the requirement of membership and giving back to the organization in order for the gleaning program to function. Our nonprofit corporation is supported by our membership volunteers who manage our Thrift Store, food distribution process and behind-the-scenes administrative duties. Our membership gleans crops, picks up food from stores, participates in warehouse repack at Linn Benton Food Share, picks up food from Linn Benton Food Share, and other locations designated by Linn Benton Food Share, and supporting our other fundraisers.
Our mission
The mission of The Sweet Home Gleaners, Inc. is to serve as East Linn County’s gleaning program by distributing food weekly to our members on a per person basis with adoptees taking precedence.