Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - [Market-farming] RE: Donating to the elderly

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Alliums <garlicgrower AT earthlink.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] RE: Donating to the elderly
  • Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2005 08:57:04 -0500

Hi, Folks!

The community garden requires that folks donate at least 10% of their produce to someone in need or a local agency, so I've been donating stuff and finding out where to donate stuff for years.

Food banks, cupboards and kitchen are very, very local. Chester County recently started an organization funded through the county that links all of us together so that we can share information and items, but this is NOT the norm. Most places start because someone had the idea.

The bottom line is, you have to ask around. Our food bank LOVES our fresh produce, but they want "common" items (ie tomatoes, summer squash, etc) because the "customers" don't understand the unusual items and thus, don't select them (so either they get thrown out or the staff eats them because then it doesn't go to waste). They don't want greens or herbs because they don't store as well.

In the past, the low-income elderly apartments wanted the produce, but now that most of them are really old and frail and don't have the volunteers to process the produce, they don't want it.

Our family homeless shelter didn't want the produce in the past, but now has a volunteer that loves to can, so she takes our produce and makes spaghetti sauce and the like so that if a family suddenly comes to the shelter, the nuns can whip up a quick meal for them.

The soup kitchen will take anything, but they are 10 miles away, so I often don't bother with the trip.

Church food cupboards come and go -- it's usually a specific person who has decided that it's something the church should be doing. This year, we had a church open a brand-new cupboard, but there was no publicity. You just have to ask around and find out what's going on.


Marie wrote:
The local food pantry is
always willing to take food, but I understand the people who work there
usually go home with the best stuff.

Considering how little most of the folks who work at food banks are paid, I never begrudge them whatever food they take -- some places barely pay above poverty level wages. Also, at least around here, many of the folks who work in food banks are those that used to be regular patrons of the food bank and got jobs there because they found the wherewithall to open one through their church or they were such helpful volunteers that when the funding became available, they were hired. These folks often have family and neighbors who very much need the produce, but either can't get to the food bank on their own or are those folks who are still very much in poverty, but are right at the cut-off for assistance. So, the food bank workers will often set aside items to take "home" that actually go into the neighborhood.

In fact, one of these workers actually lives on my way home from the garden, so we worked out a deal where I drop off produce on her front porch, she distributes it to folks in the neighborhood who need it (a bunch of them love traditional greens, so she distributes them immediately when she gets home since the food bank doesn't want them) and then whatever is left the next morning goes to the food bank. I also take delivery of expired baked goods not just for my volunteers, but because I know lots of folks who are disabled, low-income, etc that really can use the food.

The bottom line is that if you find the right local people, the food will go to who will use it best, regardless of what the government poverty guidelines are.

Dorene


Dorene Pasekoff, Coordinator
St. John's United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden and Labyrinth

A mission of
St. John's United Church of Christ, 315 Gay Street, Phoenixville, PA 19460





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page