North Okanagan Valley Gleaners receives donated produce and food items, processes them with the help of volunteers, and prepares nutritious dehydrated meals for distribution around the world.
In the 2025 production year, North Okanagan Valley Gleaners produced more than 16.1 million servings of food items.
Donated vegetables, fruit, and other food items are processed, dehydrated, packaged, and shipped through approved organizations to communities in need.
In the 2025 production year, North Okanagan Valley Gleaners produced more than 16.1 million servings of food items.
Many North Okanagan Valley Gleaners volunteers are looking for meaningful ways to help people in need. Some are motivated by hearing stories from people around the world who have been helped through this food ministry.
Volunteering is also a great way to share a meaningful experience with old and new friends. Whatever the reason, the NOV Gleaners team is always thankful for the help.
Food donations come from farmers, food retailers, food distributors, and individuals throughout the year.
Donations include fresh, dried, and frozen vegetables such as potatoes, beets, onions, garlic, broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, rutabagas, lentils, peas, beans, and more. Donations may range from a few pounds to hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Food processed by NOV Gleaners is dehydrated in hot air kilns. The dried vegetables are blended into a soup mix and packaged in bags that produce approximately 150 servings each.
The bags are then packed into cardboard boxes, with each box holding ten bags of soup or fruit.
Volunteers clean and cut vegetables into large pieces. The vegetables are then chopped into smaller pieces by a dicing machine and spread onto pans to be loaded into dehydrators.
The next day, the dried soup ingredients are removed from the dryers, placed in drums, inventoried, and stored in the warehouse. Once a good variety of ingredients has been gathered, volunteers combine them into a flavourful soup mix.
NOV Gleaners also produces apple fruit snacks. Apples are diced, dried, and bagged in 40-cup serving quantities to provide delicious and nutritious snacks.
In recent years, shipments have been made to Armenia, the Dominican Republic, Eastern Europe, Africa, Guatemala, Ukraine, and other places.
Organizations around the world are encouraged to complete Food Aid application forms. Once approved, they may receive food aid.
Boxes or bags of dehydrated meals are easy to handle and ship.
Organizations that apply for food aid and are approved are responsible for paying the costs of pickup and transportation. NOV Gleaners looks for organizations with people on the ground who can handle the distribution of food.
Food is processed as it is received into the NOV Gleaners facility in order to maximize its nutritional value.
Processing depends on when the food is received, how long it can be stored in the coolers, and the availability of volunteers. Generally, the variety of food is seasonal and follows the harvest times of each vegetable or fruit.
Help wash, cut, prepare, dry, package, and organize food for shipment.
People of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities can volunteer. NOV Gleaners has welcomed helpers as young as 10 years old, as well as volunteers in their 90s.
Business groups, church groups, and school groups are also welcome to come for a morning.
The food processing cycle requires volunteers to wash, clean, cut, trim, and chop vegetables, as well as load the dryers.
Volunteers are also needed to package dehydrated soup mix and help with a variety of other jobs at the plant. No matter your abilities, there is a place for you on the team.
NOV Gleaners has been operating since 2009 and is well-practiced in its food processing work.
Volunteers are taught exactly what they need to know in order to become a helpful part of the team.
To volunteer, contact the processing plant at 250-558-5872 or email novgleaners@gmail.com.
Volunteer shifts currently run from 8:00 AM to 12:00 noon, Monday through Friday, year-round.
Volunteers can choose the day or days that work best for them. If you or your group is interested in volunteering at other times or on weekends, please contact NOV Gleaners to discuss possible arrangements.
NOV Gleaners includes volunteers from throughout the North Okanagan. Additional volunteers also come from other parts of British Columbia, Alberta, and beyond.
Many travel to the plant and stay in the adjacent Gleaners RV Park while helping with food processing.
Farmers, grocers, distributors, and individuals can donate produce and other suitable food items.
Farmers, food distributors, grocers, and individuals are all welcome to donate food to support the work of NOV Gleaners.
NOV Gleaners accepts vegetables that can be dehydrated and added to soup, including potatoes, beets, onions, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, rutabagas, celery, peas, beans, and similar items.
The plant can also process frozen or canned vegetables. For fruit, NOV Gleaners is currently limited by equipment and capacity to apples and pears.
Certain processed and packaged foods may also be accepted, along with dried items such as peas, beans, and lentils.
NOV Gleaners can handle almost any amount of donated food, from individual cases to truckloads.
The plant has two coolers that can store up to 90,000 pounds of fresh or frozen produce.
To donate food, contact the processing plant at 250-558-5872 or email novgleaners@gmail.com.
Some donations are seasonal and follow harvest times, but many food items arrive at the plant throughout the year.
Food is donated by farmers, food retailers, food distributors, and individuals.
In many cases, donations come from local surplus or storage situations where a large amount of produce becomes available in a short period of time. NOV Gleaners also receives unmarketable produce that may not be sellable because of size, shape, colour, or quality.
Rather than letting food go to waste, NOV Gleaners turns it into much-needed meals.
Many countries around the world do not have the advantages of abundant food production that North America enjoys. They may also lack the food banks and support systems available here.
Through NOV Gleaners, surplus produce can be turned into life-saving meals that improve the lives of people with few alternatives.
When suitable items are available, NOV Gleaners also contributes vegetables, fruit, and other food items to local food banks.
Organizations seeking food aid should download and complete the Food Aid application form. Food aid is provided when food is available, the application is approved, and the organization agrees to pay all costs for pickup and shipment to the destination.
Applicants should review the application form for any additional conditions that may apply.
Every gift of time, food, furniture, equipment, or funds helps North Okanagan Valley Gleaners provide food and medical aid to people in need around the world. Whether you volunteer or donate, you become part of a practical, life-giving mission. Call 250-549-1123 or email novgleanersstore@gmail.com to get started.
