Plant a row to fight hunger

Attention all gardeners! Want to help fight hunger while doing something you love? How about starting with one row at a time? With a handful of seeds and a love of gardening, people can plant, grow and harvest an extra row of vegetables to donate to their local food bank or soup kitchen through a unique national program called Plant a Row, Grow a Row.

“The program was inspired by local initiatives that began in the Prairies,” says Susan Antler, executive director of the Composting Council of Canada. A collaboration between her organization and the Canadian Council of Food Banks and Gardeners’ Writing Association, Plant a Row, Grow a Row recognizes that since vegetables are an essential part of healthy nutrition, it is important that families who use food banks have access to fresh produce.

In Canada, 25 communities have formed local Plant a Row, Grow a Row programs. In Alberta, Edmonton, Calgary and most recently, Leduc, have all organized programs.

Since the national program started up in 2000, one million pounds of produce has been donated across Canada and those numbers are going up every year, says Antler.

The program welcomes any type of fresh produce, but has a special need for root vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips and potatoes. Any other type of produce that is easily handled and stored (like broccoli, cabbage, peas, beans, tomatoes, radishes, sweet peppers and summer squash) is also accepted, as are herbs.

Even if you don’t garden, you can participate by picking up some extra vegetables at your local farmer’s market and donating it to your local food bank. (Check with your food bank first to ensure they accept fresh produce donations). The program also accepts donations of seeds, gardening tools and land for local community gardens.

The program has inspired unique ideas for donations: “Churches have planted vegetable gardens instead of having manicured lawns, businesses have planted a vegetable garden and have their employees tend to it and farmers have been known to donate an acre of harvest to the program,” says Antler.