Grow a Row for Your Community

As you are planning your garden this year, why not consider planting extra? Growing a row for your community can be simple, and it feels good too!

Here are 5 reasons to donate:

1. You can give back to your community in a meaningful way

2. Help reduce food waste

3. Fight climate change

4. Support human rights and dignity

5. Help build a sense of community around food

Access to fresh produce is an important component of food equity. Gardeners can  grow and donate items that feeding programs, like our local food pantries, would not  have available otherwise. Fresh produce is notoriously difficult for pantries and other organizations to acquire consistently. Produce picked ripe is also at its nutritional peak, not to mention much tastier than anything from a supermarket that has traveled countless miles to reach your plate.

Thinking about planting extra this year but not sure how to donate it? Seven Valleys Food Rescue (SVFR) partners with Fresh Food Connect, an easy-to-use virtual platform that helps gardeners alert food rescues to the extra produce they have to donate. Remember all of those zucchini you ended up with last year? SVFR and Fresh Food Connect can make sure your excess veggies do not go to waste

To begin utilizing Fresh Food Connect, you will first need to download the app and create a profile. When you have produce to donate, simply input the information into the app and select either pick-up or drop-off. Selecting pick-up notifies SVFR who will then arrange to pick-up your donation and deliver it to the food program for you. The drop-off selection alerts SVFR that you are willing to drop the donation yourself. Once SVFR receives your donation, the produce will be distributed to hunger relief organizations throughout Cortland County.

When deciding to grow a row of produce to donate, there are a few things to consider. Your donated produce does not need to be beautiful. A few cracks or unique shapes are acceptable to donate. A good rule to go by is, if you would not eat it, do not donate it. If your produce has aphids or is starting to get a little moldy, your compost pile might be a better place for it. If you do end up with a summer squash problem (zucchini are summer squash!), it is preferred that any you donate are smaller than your forearm. Large squash can be challenging to cook and eat. Also, do not shy away from growing herbs for donation! Herbs keep food fun and flavorful and are often difficult for feeding programs to procure.

Still have questions about Fresh Food Connect or Seven Valleys Food Rescue? Get ahold of us via email or phone (607-756-4198)!

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