SHARE YOUR BOUNTY

By Wes Duren, Landscape and Construction Supervisor

According to the US Department of Agriculture we throw away 1 pound of food per person per day in this country, or well over 100 billion pounds of food per year. Some estimate this to be more than enough to totally eliminate hunger in America.
 
 If you are or know a backyard gardener blessed with the sun, soil, rain and luck to give you more produce than you and your friends or family can use, please consider sharing it with a neighborhood pantry. The joy of giving is contagious, and our food pantries lack the fresh, nutrient dense produce that our organic gardens can supply them with. The people that use food pantries are your neighbors who have fallen on hard times. Do not worry if your apples have some harmless blemish, if the tomatoes are not yet perfectly red (they will ripen even after they are harvested) or if your red peppers are still green. If you would feed the produce to your family, it is fine for the pantry. However, your food is spoiled beyond eating, it should be put into your compost pile instead.
 
Our friends at Natures Garden Delivered are now setting aside all fruits and vegetables that are blemished and would have been composted, and instead donating them to our local food pantries.  Together, we can all make a positive difference in our community.