Rachel’s Table celebrates truck to help with gleaning program

Rachel’s Table Executive Director Jodi Falk gathers with Director of Program Strategy Cara Silverberg, Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts Senior Director of Community Impact Ja’net Smith, the Max Cares Foundation board of directors member Ryan Trask, State Reps. Angelo Puppolo and Brian Ashe and a volunteer in front of a truck purchased for the organization’s gleaning program.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen

SPRINGFIELD — Rachel’s Table, a food insecurity organization in the greater Springfield area, officially celebrated the acquisition of a new truck, dubbed the “Glean Machine,” with a ribbon cutting on June 7.

At the same time, the organization recognized its move to new offices within the Springfield Jewish Community Center.

Rachel’s Table focuses on alleviating hunger and food waste. In addition to purchasing and growing food, it collects excess food from supermarkets, caterers, bakeries and restaurants, and delivers it to other organizations that address food insecurity.

Rachel’s Table also operates a gleaning program. Gleaning is the process of gathering food left over after a crop has been harvested. Farmers often grow more than they can sell to protect against poor crop yield. Aside from that, some produce is undersized, scarred or misshapen and so not suitable for sale. Rachel’s Table partners with several area farms to gather the produce that would otherwise be tilled back into the soil.

In 2025, the organization worked with 27 gleaning farm partners. While most of them are in the Amherst and Hadley area, Cara Silverberg, director of program strategy, said Rachel’s Table works with farms throughout the hill towns, and from Enfield in the south as far north as the New Hampshire border.

The gleaning program represents 65% of all fresh produce distributed by the organization. Last year, despite a gleaning goal of just 54,000 pounds, Rachel’s Table gleaned 117 pounds of fresh produce, packing it into the back seats and trunks of volunteer’s vehicles to deliver it to 82 pantries and informal distribution sites. “It wasn’t sustainable,” Silverberg said.

The Glean Machine, a $45,000 gray pickup truck emblazoned with the Rachel’s Table logo, will support its gleaning operation, allowing volunteers to distribute gleaned food more effectively. The organization will spend another $10,000 to outfit the truck for its purpose and training gleaners.

The Glean Machine was funded through donations, small and large. One of the main donors was the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. The nonprofit’s Senior Director of Community Impact Ja’net Smith said her organization was excited to be a part of helping Rachel’s Table help the community. Ryan Trask, a member of the Max Cares Foundation board of directors, said “It’s an honor” for his organization to help Rachel’s Table purchase the truck. Go Graphics offered in-kind support by volunteering to wrap the vehicle.

Asked about the level of need in the community, Silverberg sighed heavily. “Unfortunately, there’s been a continued increase. The way need spiked in 2020, it just never came down,” said Silverberg. She explained, “More and more people who would not normally use a pantry are gleaning because it provides a supplemental food source. That population is rising — the band on the cusp of food insecurity.” She cited as a contributing factor the increased cost of everyday items, and particularly food. Taking a wider view, she said our society should look at the way it values commodity crops, such as corn, more than growing more nutritious fruits and vegetables crops.

State Reps. Brian Ashe and Angelo Puppolo presented Executive Director Jodi Falk with a citation from the House of Representatives and delivered a similar one on behalf of state Sens. Adam Gomez and Jake Oliveira. Ashe said he grew up food insecure, so the work of Rachel’s Table is particularly close to his heart.

During the celebration, Rachel’s Table also christened its new office. While it’s office has long been located at the Springfield Jewish Community Center, Falk explained the organization was limited to a 600-square-foot space. Recently, Rachel’s Table moved to a 1,600-square-foot office, with plenty of room to meet with donors and members of the community.

For more information about Rachel’s Table, visit feedwma.org.