SOUND OFF: GAP – Summer 2026

Aug 12, 2026 | 6:00 AM

UPON MOVING TO KAMLOOPS over a decade ago, the Gleaning Abundance Program (GAP) piqued my interest – who wouldn’t love to pick fresh, locally grown food?

I’d grown up picking berries with my Grandma Eva, and I had been missing those summer harvests. I didn’t get a chance to officially plug into the program until a couple of summers ago when I joined the Kamloops Food Policy Council (KFPC) and realized joining GAP was so much easier and more accessible than I had anticipated. I can sincerely say GAP harvests are now one of my top five favourite things about summertime in Kamloops and I look forward to it every year! (tl;dr just sign up here!)

If you’re new to GAP, the concept is pretty simple – a tree owner with excess fruit signs up for a gleaning session. The GAP coordinators put a call out to volunteers for a specific date and time, and those interested sign up. The food is split up evenly: one-third goes back to the landowner, one-third gets donated to the community, and one-third is divided amongst the volunteers. It keeps the bears and bucks from moving into yards and keeps the excess food inside our local food system instead of landfills! It is a true food recovery system that is Kamloops’ best kept secret.

Joining GAP has been an absolute highlight these past few summers. In 2025 I brought my son to help pick apples and pears in Rayleigh and corn in Chase. He absolutely loved filling up the buckets with fruit and veg, seeing how fruit grows, and experiencing the immense size of a real-life corn farm. Driving our van between the corn fields contributed to the wow factor for a five year old (and a 39 year old, to be honest). Having the opportunity to include my son in volunteer work and have him understand that the food he was picking was going to help others was a really fun, tangible and memorable way to teach him about giving back. It also didn’t hurt for both of us to learn more about where our food comes from!

Speaking of making memories, in early August my husband Drew, our son and I, did a haskap berry harvest at HoneyBerry Farms. It was really special to spend time volunteering together, getting our hands covered in purple juice, learning about the different kinds of haskap berries, and watching our son be so excited to harvest his own food. As amateur berry growers, the farm inspired us to think differently about our berry plants at home. We had a new appreciation for the incredible effort berry farmers give to bring a high-quality product to market and into the community, and in a large enough quantity to sell. We were so happy that our small effort in picking supported both the host farmer, who graciously opened up their farm, and also local food security through the GAP distribution efforts.

SOUND OFF

SOUND OFF: GAP - Summer 2026

1h ago

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A big thank you to every host farmer and tree owner who has opened their abundance to the GAP program. Us volunteers and recipient community organizations appreciate you more than you’ll ever know!

One thing about joining GAP that I wasn’t expecting was how fun and welcoming of a community it would be. Every harvest I’ve attended I’ve met new people passionate about gardening, cooking, canning, eating and everything in between. I’ve learned an incredible amount about gardening in Kamloops from being in other peoples’ yards and rubbing shoulders (sometimes literally) with other volunteers.

The 2026 GAP Coordinators, Faith and Anya, are both so great at helping all the volunteers feel welcomed, educated and capable of taking on harvesting, which for many of us, is a brand-new skill. I am always amazed at how hard Faith and Anya work to ensure the donated food gets integrated into the community with as little waste as possible. They truly value the effort of the farmers and the volunteers, and honour that effort with how dedicated they are to effective and efficient distribution.

So if you’re seeking fabulous social connection, an opportunity to give back to the community, support food recovery and reduce food waste in Kamloops, definitely sign up for the Gleaning Abundance Program by following this link (or search Kamloops Food Policy Council Gleaning Abundance Program online). You can do as little as one harvest a year or sign up to learn how to scout trees, be a post-harvest distributor or even sign up your own trees to be harvested! There are so many ways to get involved.

Although 2026 continues to be an incredible year for GAP, change is coming! The Gleaning Abundance Program was lovingly started and shepherded by the Kamloops Food Policy Council for many years and now it is time for the program to find a new administrative parent as the KFPC is shifting back towards strategic initiatives and food security advocacy. The Community Gaming Grants have been a major funder towards the wages for GAP Coordinators over the years, and it is anticipated that grant funding may be more challenging to access as the years go on. We at the KFPC are seeking to find an organization or business that could dovetail the GAP Food Recovery program into their existing programming! If you have any creative ideas on who or how the GAP program could be administered next summer, please reach out to Sadie, Kent, Faith and Anya at the KFPC by emailing gleaning@kamloopsfoodpolicycouncil.com. We would love to hear from you!

The Kamloops community never ceases to amaze me, and the GAP is just one example of how the people of this region truly do take care of each other, care about our local food economy, and are passionate about everyone having access to fresh, nutritious food. Cheers to GAP!

by Becky Blixrud-Dufour

SOUND OFF: GAP – Summer 2026

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