A PROJECT OF SUSTAINABLE BALLARD · EST. 2018
Bakery Gleaning
Good bread shouldn’t end up in the dumpster. Several afternoons our volunteers collect the day-old loaves and donuts Ballard’s bakeries can’t sell, and deliver them to neighbors who need them for breakfast the next morning.
WHAT
Day-old bread rescue
baked goods only
ROUTES
2 bakeries
in Ballard
TIME
~45 min
one afternoon a week
WHAT IT IS
Rescue the loaf, feed a neighbor.
Bakeries bake fresh every day, which means perfectly good bread is left over every night. Bakery Gleaning closes that gap: volunteers swing by on an assigned afternoon, pick up what’s unsold, and deliver it to partner meal programs the next morning.
It’s the simplest kind of sustainability — no new resources, no waste, just a short drive and a friendly hello. One bag of breads or box of donuts is one fewer bag or box in the landfill and one warm breakfast on someone’s table.
HOW TO TAKE PART
A gleaning run takes just a short time each week
Pick a route, grab the goods. Drop them off the next morning and you are done before your coffee gets cold.
1
Claim a route
Sign up for a bakery and a weekday that fits your schedule. Routes are short and close to home.
2
Collect the goods
Load up the day-old bread, donuts or pastries the bakery has set aside, and sign the log.
3
Drop it off
Deliver to the meal program on your route the next morning, while everything is still tasty.
ON THE ROUTE
What we glean
Anything the bakery can’t sell tomorrow but is still wonderful — boxed, tracked, and delivered with care.
Breads
- Sourdough loaves
- Baguettes
- Rolls & buns
- Focaccia
Pastries
- Croissants
- Scones
- Muffins
- Danishes
Sweets
- Cookies
- Cakes & slices
- Donuts
- Day-old pies
Partners
- Ballard bakeries
- Meal programs
- Senior lunches
- Shelters
ON A MORNING RUN
From the back door to the table
WHY IT MATTERS
“Fresh bread, baked this morning, that would otherwise have been thrown away tonight — instead it’s breakfast for a neighbor tomorrow.”
The Bakery Gleaning crew — On rescuing what would have been wasted
IN GOOD COMPANY
Partners & supporters
Bakery Gleaning connects generous neighborhood bakeries with the organizations that get rescued bread and sweets to those who need it.
Tall Grass Bakery
BREAD DONOR
Mighty-O Donuts
DONUT DONOR
St. Luke’s Episcopal
FEEDING PROGRAM
