Urban Gleaners from Green Urban Lunch Box

The contemporary idea of gleaning has earned a more respectable reputation with the rise of programs such as the one operated by Green Urban Lunchbox (GULB), a non-profit organization that promotes urban agriculture and food security in Salt Lake County.

Lynne Olson

October 8, 2019

"The Gleaners" by Jean-François Millet

Green Urban Lunch Box

The painting by Jean-François Millet, known as “The Gleaners,” was not popular when it premiered in 1857. The French middle and upper-classes were unwilling to admit there was hunger and poverty in France; they were afraid that working-class citizens might revolt against those who controlled the empire under Napoleon III.

Gleaning with Green Urban Lunch Box

Homeowners who register with GULB can arrange for volunteers to come and harvest their fruit rather than watching it spoil. When produce is nearly ready, homeowners can request a visit from a GULB scout who will see the size of the tree or garden and determine how many volunteers to bring. They will schedule a date for picking and show up in vans with ladders and crates to do the work.

The produce is divided into thirds, with the first portion going to the homeowner. Another third goes to volunteers. The rest is for GULB to donate to different food pantries, several free Senior Farmers Markets, and free food banks for cancer patients.

FruitShare

FruitShare Coordinator Darin Mann said there is also a market for secondary products made from gleaned fruit. For instance, to Mountain West Cidery for hard cider and apricots for Honest John Bitters. Several area restaurants and healthy local kitchens are partners with GULB, which provides locally sourced fruits and vegetables for their menus.

When they’re not busy harvesting, Mann said his volunteers maintain the trees they pick. Part of their mission is to promote healthy stewardship, which includes pruning those trees in the late winter and spring.

Back-Farms Program

In addition, the GULB’s Back-Farms starts and maintains organic gardens in senior citizens’ backyards at no cost to the homeowners. A volunteer garden apprentice cultivates the garden during the growing season. The produce from each garden is shared among the property owners, the apprentice and free senior center farmers markets held at Salt Lake County senior centers.

The Green Urban Lunchbox currently operates other programs: The Small Farms Initiative and the Green Urban Mobile Market and Greenhouse.

READ STORIES ABOUT FARMING IN UTAH HERE.

Community Events, Gardening & Farms, Healthy Utah

Community, Food, Gardening, Green Urban Lunch Box, Salt Lake City, Utah volunteers

Lynne Olson

Addiction

Ritual Chocolate Tasting Class in Heber City: Inside Utah’s Bean-to-Bar Factory

Inside Ritual Chocolate’s Heber City factory, guests learn how to taste chocolate like professionals during weekly bean-to-bar classes. From Madagascar’s bright citrus notes to savory pairings with olive oil and smoked salt, the experience blends science, craftsmanship, and Utah creativity into one unforgettable night.
Members Only

Chronic Disease in America: Treating Too Late, Prescribing Too Much

Every January, Americans reflect on the year behind them and draft a familiar list of resolutions. Eat better. Lose weight. Exercise more. Reduce stress. These intentions recur not because people lack discipline, but because the underlying health conditions driving them persist.

Despite unprecedented medical spending and pharmaceutical access, the United States remains chronically unhealthy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 76 percent of US adults live with at least one chronic condition, and over 51 percent live with two or more. The most prevalent conditions are well documented. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death, accounting for 680,981 deaths in 2023, while obesity affects more than 40 percent of US adults. Diabetes impacts 38.4 million Americans, and nearly half of adults have hypertension, a major contributor to stroke, kidney failure, and heart disease.

Treatment typically begins once disease is clinically apparent, and often relies on pharmaceuticals. Over time, this approach can lead to polypharmacy, the use of five or more medications. Patients with chronic illness frequently average two to four comorbidities, each managed independently, increasing the likelihood that side effects from one medication require another.

To access this post, you must purchase Utah Stories (Digital + Print) or 3 month free trial (Digital).
Members Only

Why We’re Less Healthy Than Our Parents and What Happened

Something has gone wrong with our health. Each generation appears sicker than the one before, despite spending more on medicine than any society in history. At the same time, trust in once-authoritative sources of health guidance has eroded as pharmaceutical advertising increasingly blurs the line between reporting and recommendation. This piece examines how lifestyle, food, and institutional incentives reshaped our understanding of health—and why reclaiming it may require more courage than another prescription.

To access this post, you must purchase Utah Stories (Digital + Print) or 3 month free trial (Digital).
Healthy Utah

A Salt Lake City Gym Uses Fitness and Community to Support Addiction Recovery

“What I think is really special about that place is that doing hard things is a way that we can become proud of ourselves,” said nursing student Vince Minutello, who has started exercising at the gym in Salt Lake City as a requirement for one of his courses.