This might interest you:

http://americasgrowarow.org/

http://www.growarow.org/indexENG.htm

Our wonderful president has exaserbated the problem. He has no idea how to keep the country running (keep business going). His plans and ideas have nothing to do with making the country work other than building the amount of dependance on the government. I plan to provide as much as I can to the local food bank. I'm just so amazed at what is going on.

I think politics and related comments should be left off the forum. This is not the appropriate place.

I contribute regularly to different food distributing orgs. in my area. I plan to donate any surplus I have to Mother's Cupboard, a volunteer organization that provides meals to the needy every day and is not far from where I live.

I think this is the perfect place to talk about it. We're being turned into a communistic nation and we know how that works. You want to be the USSR? I donate because I can however there are many that are losing their life savings.

It would be perfect if it had a single point to make.

"plans" "ideas" "blah blah blah"

At least bring substance, not a bunch of buzzwords.

You might want to stay away from that talk radio, too. I live in an area where it's making people fear for their very lives. It's not good for your health to be all worked up like that.

macheske - this is not the "perfect place". Gardenweb has a forum, the Hot Topic Forum, specifically for this type of dialogue. I've provided link to it below. Ryansr has started an excellent and positive thread. Please do not hijack it into a political discussion.

Ryansr - I, too, plan on growing extra to donate to my local food bank. A local church in Phoenixville, PA has a community garden that requires members to donate 10% of their harvest to someone in need or the local food bank. I love this idea! Both Phoenixville Area Community Services ["PACS"] and Philibundance will accept vegetable donations in my area of Pennsylvania. I believe Second Harvest in California also accepts vegetables. Many food banks do not list that they accept vegetables on their websites, but will tell you that they do if you call them.

I like donating. This way I both get to help someone in need and rationalize my desire to grow FAR more types of green beans than I could possibly eat!

Bellatrix

Here is a link that might be useful: Hot Topics

Ryansr,
Our neighborhood, which is a series of farms along a country road, have banded together to plant extra in our vegetable gardens for the specific purpose of donating it to the local food bank.
We contacted the food bank and asked what fresh produce would be of use to their clients so we wouldn't plant the wrong things. We got a list of produce and divvied it up amongst the gardeners--one taking squash, another corn, another beans, etc.
We plan to take turns delivering the produce once a week on a designated day for the clients to pick up the vegetables. The manager of the food bank is highly organized and has everything well in hand for distribution.
Congratulations to you and your family for helping!

We're being turned into a communistic nation

Ahem. Pardon me everyone, as this requires forceful reply - there is no place for this here: macheske {{gwi:33682}}. Sorry everyone - don't click if you're gentle.

Now.

I will be growing extra food for our food banks this year, our 5 1/2 YO will help us grow and deliver. She has picked out a box already to deliver produce in.

Dan

ryansr, thanks for posting this thread. I know that a lot of gardeners do grow extra for those not as fortunate, but this may also bring "growing extra to donate" to people who haven't thought about it yet. I know there are a lot of generous and thoughtful people, like yourself, on Gardenweb.

By the way, macheske, I and both of my husbands served honorably in the Air Force and Army in the 60s to help preserve and protect this wonderful country and to preserve the right to free speech and hoping that one knows when and where to use it. Subject closed!

I appologize for stating my opinion.

BTW...here is a good link for food banks

Here is a link that might be useful: Food Pantries

I thought this thread was about feeding the hungry, not slinging mud and insults at anybody within reach.

No, I'm not interested in feeding anybody politics. I don't really appreciate being forced to gag on it, either.

And since next Monday I'm going to go down to see if I can beg food stamps, I'm afraid I'll have no excess produce to contribute.

Very off topic political comments above. Please be courteous.

Anyway,

I work at a homeless shelter in Maine. Everyone, guests and employees alike, love the fresh produce that comes in during the summer. Please though, zucchinis in moderation!

Thanks,

Jon

Jon,

That's a good point - maybe we'll grow extra summer squash instead of zucc.

And let us recognize and acknowledge the apology above - good growing this year!

Dan

Great idea, Ryansr. The nearest food pantry to me is fifteen or twenty miles away, so I plan to contact local churches in the hopes they would know who would be in need of some extra food.

Knittlin,
In addion to churches knowing who might be in need of a little extra food, try the local schools. Usually a counselor or the school nurse knows. Distribution might be difficult, but perhaps you could work something out.
We are considering having teens from the Boys and Girls Club come help with the vegetable gardens, and taking home some produce. Working out the transportation is our next hurdle.

Question -- what TYPES of vegetables would be best for this. Something like salad greens, sweet pepppers, cucumbers that people who are on tight budgets might not be able to afford? Or, would those things be too perishable?
Would it be better to grow rugged things which handle and store well, like potatos, winter squash, carrots?

Or, would many food programs take pretty much anything available?

Any suggestions?

One word of caution; if you have extra food to give, please give it to the local food bank. Do not get all feel good and go to the local homeless camp and start doling out food. It is dangerous as you will be dealing with drug addicts, mentally disturbed people and wanted criminals. I am not saying all homeless fit into this mold, however, if you go to a homeless camp you most certainly will run into this type of person. Please let the professionals deal with them! I speak from experience!

Here is a link that might be useful: Win Free Garden Stuff

Great idea, Marlingardener. If the churches can't find places for it all, I'll talk to the school. AAMOF, I'll be going to talk to them soon anyway ~ got a project brewing to start a veggie garden on the local library's back lot to teach people how to grow their own food and want to try to get the local elementary school to use it to teach the students as well. I'll ask to talk to the school counselor while I'm there.

We have always given vegetables to our neighbors and when we have enough, we take some to our church. Our church has many frail,elderly people who aren't able to grow their own. People with extra food have always left it on a table in our church entrance. We are planning to double our garden space so that we will have more to share. We always have extra seeds left over, so now will plant them rather then waste them.

I too will be growing extra to give away. A lot of people are hurting because of job loss, high food cost etc. I will look at food banks, churches, schools and nursing homes or any one in my community I think could use it. People helping each other is what's going to get us through these tough times not political divide.

This is a GREAT idea. Thank you. I always have so much extra and now I'm thrilled to have something so wonderful to give it to.

denninmi asks what to grow, what is needed and appreciated.

At the food bank near us they prefer "normal" storelike veggies...ie relatively hard red tomatoes, not the yellows, or blacks,or yummy but easily bruised heirlooms. Orange carrots, no "rainbow mix". Red radishes, no watermelon radishes or Easter Egg mix radishes. Eat the exotics you grow yourself. Most clients do not want to take a chance with something that doesn't look "right". Also, produce that can be kept for a few days without refrigeration is good. I wouldn't bring them young lettuce unless I knew it was an amount they could distribute that day.

Consider how long it takes to harvest what you are planting. Do you want to pick lots of beans, tiny cherry tomatoes, or peas? Some people enjoy picking them and would donate them. I don't. I'm better off with peppers, good sized tomatoes, small to medium zucchini, small watermelon, and cucumbers. Root crops, ie. carrots, beets, are great but they should be sprayed off well and delivered looking much like store or farm market items. Fortunately, they have a longer harvest window and you can choose a day to harvest when you have time to hose them down.

Try to bring good looking produce. Don't give them your rejects. You want to encourage people to eat healthy foods and attractive items are great ways to do that.

Realize that many volunteers work at some food pantries. Most are wonderful, but you may run into some who don't like fresh veggies to eat themselves and may not praise you for the wonderful things you bring. It took me awhile to get over things said by one volunteer and I don't think I'm very easy to offend. (That day I ended up giving most of my donation to a couple very appreciative clients out in the parking lot!) But other helpers working different shifts let me know they were very thankful for produce that home gardeners donated.

Try checking with your local pantry now. See what their set up is, when they are open, what storage they have available. Ask for their suggestions and push beyond the probable first response of "anything is welcome". And than choose things that would help the food bank and that you enjoy growing and harvesting.

I like the suggestions of other ways to distribute food such as through schools or churches. I'm going to be on the lookout for additional places or people that are nearby that may be good distribution connections.

I hope everyones' "extra" rows grow especially well this season.

I donated to a senior center that offers food for $1.00 per meal "donation" for seniors in the past. I know a couple people who did Meals on Wheels who passed out fresh veggies to clients "off the record" so to speak. Any place that needy people gather may allow you to pass out food such as Social Service (food stamp) offices but you would need permission. Many churches in our area will take fresh produce but as mentioned above really want "ordinary" type foods. I passed out fresh beans at charity that feeds needy children and seniors and believe it or not...many of the children have never seen or eaten a fresh green bean. Some even thought all beans came in cans.

If you have extra seeds there is a small group started through GW that sends seeds to those that request them free of charge called Need4Seed which is also a yahoo group. If you have extra seeds please consider passing them along to Robin. She gives them to people looking for a way to grow their own food thus gaining some independence...you know the old saying, give a man a fish...

I also want to thank all those in advance for thinking about your neighbors. My family has been there before and you never know if or when it could happen to someone you know. Kim