Gardeners share their bounty with neighbors and food pantries.
In May and June our gardens are in luscious, full production mode. There may be more vegetables a family can eat, freeze, pickle, can, or dehydrate. What to do with all your extras? Many gardeners bestow their neighbors and friends with extra zucchini, tomatoes, and cucumbers.
During May, 2020, groups of WCG gardeners pooled their extra veggies and dropped off donations to two neighborhood food pantries.
Just three blocks from the community garden, Bethel’s Helping Hands, at 12660 Sandpiper (at Fonmeadow), received 30 lbs. of kale, collards, tomatoes, beans, squash, cucumbers and herbs on May 15th. On another day, 4 lbs of kale and collards were dropped off. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bethel’s Helping Hands distributed food to about 6500 families per month. Now, the distribution is 6000 families per week. The main drive-through distribution day is Wednesday between 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Because the shelf-life of fresh produce is limited, it is best for gardeners to drop off clean, bagged or boxed items on Monday or Tuesday so they may quickly be dispersed to families who need them.
On Memorial weekend, the Society of St Vincent De Paul Food Pantry at St Thomas More Catholic Church, on Hillcroft at Wigton, received 41 lbs. of chard, kale, collards, squash, beans, cucumbers and tomatoes. SSVDP serves 140 – 175 families a month with supplemental food. The pantry has faced challenges recently with decreased donations and increased demand due to COVID-19. Parishioners donations have fallen because members are not visiting the church in-person for mass. The need is greater than ever now.
It’s important to support both these vital neighborhood services. Don’t let your excess produce go to waste. Consider a donation to one of these local charities.
