Grow a Row for The Gleaning Project

It’s the first day of spring which means warmer temperature, longer days, and summer is just around the corner. Farmers and gardeners alike have been busy bed prepping, seed starting, and planning their gardens/ land for the upcoming season. While we are all hoping for a drier season than last, we are still in awe over the generosity we receive from our grower donors in 2018. Between both counties we received over 300,000 lbs of produce donations and distributed them to our network of community partners, providing produce for over 10,000 food insecure individuals.

This year, we are encouraging our backyard gardeners to take the extra step and “Grow A Row” for The Gleaning Project. By growing a few extra plants and donating their fruits, you are helping us fill a critical need in South Central PA. With over 12% of our population being food insecure, we work hard to ensure everyone has access to fresh, and healthy produce. While the bulk of our donations come from our local farms, we also work with backyard and community gardens. No donation is too small and we really appreciate the produce variety that comes from our gardener donors. Last year we had almost 20,000 lbs of produce donated by backyard gardeners and this year we are hoping for even more!

So think of us while you start your gardens this year. If everyone planted a couple extra tomatoes, onions, peppers, or cilantro plants (salsa garden, anyone?), imagine the impact we could have on our community. You can rest easy knowing the fruits of your labor will be eaten and enjoyed by many.

To learn more about being a backyard garden donor and the donation process click here.

Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us by emailing thegleaningproject@gmail.com.