FamilyCares Food Share

Did your family plant a garden this year? Do you have extra vegetables? Would you considering sharing your bounty with a local soup kitchen, food bank or family shelter? Consider joining the McGuire family in sharing your bounty with a local soup kitchen, food bank or family shelter. That is what one family, the McGuire family , has done. Kelsey McGuire says their garden is has enough to feed five to eight families and since they are only three, they donate all the extra produce to a local outreach program. Your family can help feed hungry Americans by sharing your gift of gardening to provide others with nutritious fresh food.

The FamilyCares Food Share is a way for your family to share food from your own garden or participate in a community garden to bring fresh vegetables to the table of families eating at soup kitchens, living in shelters or depending on food pantries or food banks to feed their families. "Approximately 25 million Americans, including 9.9 million children, have substandard diets or must resort to seeking emergency food because they cannot always afford the food they need." ¹ Fresh vegetables and fruit are expensive and people struggling to feed their families might not have access to the delicious summer vegetables that most of us enjoy.

Sharing From Your Garden
If you don't have a garden this year, think about planting one next February or March, with the idea of joining the national campaign, Plant a Row for the Hungry (PAR). PAR was launched in 1995 as a public service campaign of the Garden Writers Association (GWA). Its goal is to help to feed the hungry by establishing PAR networks in every state and province in North America. In 1999, Home & Garden Television (HGTV) joined with GWA as the national media sponsor of PAR.

FamilyCares Food Share Garden

Materials Needed:
A plot of land with loose, well-drained soil receiving 8 or more hours of sun a day
Gardening tools
Seeds or plants
Easily accessible water supply
Mulch

Steps Involved:

Discuss with your children why you are planting a garden. Explain that not everyone has all the food they need or can afford to buy fresh vegetables. Discuss the idea of donating the extra vegetables to your local soup kitchen, shelter or food bank. Check out America's Second Harvest at http://www.secondharvest.org/ to read about hunger in America.
Check with your local shelter or food bank about their needs. Most have limited space for storage.
Make sure all family members will have a role in the garden. Give them their own special plants to foster, or have them help in tending the whole garden. It might take patience but kids will love it.
Prepare a spot of land for your new garden. Soil preparation is key to a healthy crop. Check out “Plant A Row, Growing Vegetables For You and The Hungry, by Dr. Sandy Bochonok” at http://www.soulfoodministry.org/docs/English/PlantARow.htm for some great ideas on starting a garden with the intention of donating your extra crops.
Install wire fencing, to keep animals away.
Decide what kinds of vegetables you'd like to grow. Check with the local food pantry which vegetables they could use the most based on shelf life and fragility. Tomatoes, zucchini, and squash are all good choices, since one plant can provide many edible treats.
Choose plants that will grow in the area you've selected.
Purchase seeds or young plants from a nursery.
Research how much water your plants will need – go on line or ask at your local nursery.
Harvest the vegetables when they are ripe. Wash them well, let them dry and bag them.
Bring them to your homeless shelter or food pantry; make it a family outing if appropriate. Food banks will often give you a tour.
Ask about additional volunteer opportunities at the food bank or pantry for your family.

FamilyCares Food Share Community Gardening
Community gardens bring neighbors together to produce nutritious, affordable food and beautify the neighborhood. They were started in the early 1970's in blighted urban areas because of the energy crisis and the rapid rise of the cost of fresh produce. Community gardens, in addition to providing affordable fresh produce, promote self-reliance and self-respect by taking a vacant, neglected plot of land and turning it into a productive and beautiful garden. Community gardens bring together all generations and neighbors of different backgrounds to create opportunities for recreation, exercise and education. They improve the quality of life. Research shows that every dollar invested in a community vegetable garden yields $6.00 worth of vegetables. ²

There are an estimated 18,000 community gardens throughout the United States and Canada . There are several opportunities for your family to volunteer as these gardens are usually year round initiatives: gardening, clean-ups, and harvesting among others. Donations of gardening tools, gloves, garden bags, hoses, etc. are often needed. The American Community Gardening Association at www.communitygarden.org is a great resource for tips on starting and maintaining gardens and offers tips for working with children. It also provides links to community garden programs with known websites.

In Washington, D.C., employees and family members of the Points of Light Institute volunteer at a community garden in Anacostia.

According to an ancient Chinese proverb, “When there is food on the table, there are many problems. But when there is no food on the table, there is only one problem.” Hunger is a problem for millions of Americans, but your participation in FamilyCares Food Share is a start to help those in your community who struggle to put food on the table. You will be treating your family to the joys of gardening and treating others to a delicious summer bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Resources
The Hunger Study 2006 by America's Second Harvest at http://www.hungerinamerica.org/
Garden Writers of America at http://www.gardenwriters.org/par/
Plant A Row, Growing Vegetables For You and The Hungry by Dr. Sandy Bochonok at http://www.soulfoodministry.org/docs/English/PlantARow.htm
Worm's Way at http://www.wormsway.com/par/?m=i
The American Community Garden Association at www.communitygarden.org
Community Gardens at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/kinder/commun.html

Books
Lovejoy, Sharon. Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children
Richardson, Beth. Gardening with Children
Rushing, Felder. Dig, Plant, Grow: A Kid's Guide to Gardening

For questions about this project, other FamilyCares projects, family volunteering or Family Volunteer Day, e-mail familyvolunteering@PointsofLight.org .

¹ Garden Writers of America
² Where Gardens Fill a Supermarket Void