This week I grew more lettuce, Pak Choi and greens than we needed to use fresh in our kitchen. I took the excess to a local food pantry where they don’t get many fresh, leafy green vegetables. We growers and donors are asked to arrive on Monday mornings.
I put a followup on my calendar to time my harvests so excess can go directly to the pantry each week.
Our food pantry is located in the basement of the Methodist Church. Each Monday afternoon, the shelves are open for anyone to come and take what they need. The pantry serves a clientele of about 35 food-insecure people. If fresh goods are left at the end of the day, a local food rescue driver arrives and takes them to another food pantry open the next day. It is an efficient system.
From what I hear, my fresh greens are usually popular. I don’t know the clients, and don’t really need to know them to do what I do.
The needs are similar everywhere there are food pantries. Here is the current want list from ours:
- Mandarin oranges
- Canned tuna and chicken
- Pasta sauces
- Ramen noodles
- Chunky Soups
- Peanut Butter
- Canned fruit
- Kids cereal
- Toilet paper
If readers have the means, I encourage you to help your local food pantry. It is something easy to do whether you are a gardener or not.
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