Volunteer of the Month: Michael DeLong

Our Volunteer of the Month for February is Michael DeLong. He has been a dedicated food pick up volunteer for months now, bringing us a large donation from New Seasons Arbor Lodge every Thursday evening. He also volunteered his time to participate in our growing Harvest Glean Program, where we are invited to local farms to collect excess produce before the farmer tills the plants back into the field. He ventured to Sun Love Farms in Corbett to help us pick 400 pounds of tomatoes in just two hours! He also joined us for a massive harvest of apples from Sauvie Island Douglas Farm to glean from their abundant crop last year. Michael has shown a valuable combination of spontaneity and dependability in areas he is willing to volunteer his work with Urban Gleaners. For his flexibility and eagerness to help we appreciate him joining us in our mission. He hails from Lafayette, California, but was drawn to Portland to attend Reed College where he completed a degree in political science. Michael also devotes his time to political campaigns. In 2014 he worked on Clatsop County Commissioner Lianne Thompsons’ successful run for office. Since then he has been doing work for Cease Fire Oregon. In his free time Michael enjoys cooking and tending to his community garden plot in the Gilbert Heights neighborhood. Once harvest time comes Michael has offered to be one of our lead Harvest Gleaners and has been helpful in regularly volunteering to come to farms with us to grow the program. The image above is of Michael harvesting tomatoes at Sun Love Farms in Corbett, Oregon.