How does your garden grow?
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pring is garden planting time, and several member agencies are taking advantage of all the fresh produce that grow in their gardens. For example, the Texas County Food Pantry is already working with area gardens to make sure clients will have plenty of fresh, local produce in their kitchens this summer, while the St. Clair County food pantry is tending its own garden area thanks to a local supporter. The food pantry in Houston has worked with the Texas County Master Gardeners for years, referring clients who want to grow their own garden plot and also getting excess produce to distribute, explained Bennie Cook, executive director of the pantry. But that is not the only source of fresh vegetables for the pantry. The Houston public schools’ summer school program includes a gardening element. The students learn how to plant a garden, and then the community continues the care of the garden. This is the fourth year the pantry has received produce from that project. Another great source of produce for the pantry is the South Central Correctional Center in Licking. Called the Restorative Justice Project, the garden is manned by the
Mike banks tends to the food pantry’s garden in osceola. many OFH agencies grow produce for clients or partner with an existing farm.
prisoners, with the food pantry in Houston and the United Community Help Center in Licking receiving produce a couple times a week during harvesting. The food pantry in Osceola began receiving excess produce from Jim Kottwitz’s garden more than a decade ago, but last year pantry supporters tended their own section of Jim’s three-acre garden. The bounty was given to pantry clients. This year, pantry volunteers will be back in the garden and clients will once again reap the harvest. “To me it’s a natural thing,” said Jim, who owns Kottwitz Feed and Farm Supply in
Online presence key in new age of giving With more and more donors choosing to give online, it is becoming even more important that your agency has an online presence — a website, Facebook page, even a Twitter account! That is where people can learn about your agency – what you do, who you serve, how financially responsible you are, and how to donate. So, when potential donors “Google” you, they should be able to learn those facts quickly and easily, which means that you need to be in control of what they find online. Various charity tracking organizations, such as Charity Navigator and Guidestar, will also
use the online information available about you to rank your agency and let donors know they can trust you. If setting up a web page seems too daunting, it may be time to turn to some new volunteers. There are young people, many of them college students, in your community who are comfortable and competent online. They can become volunteers for your organization by helping you establish your online presence. You would not only be getting the benefit of their expertise, but you would be giving them an early opportunity to experience the excitement of giving back to their community through volunteerism. They may even become future donors!
Osceola, where he also sells his produce in addition to supporting pantries in Buffalo and Camden County with his bounty. The pantry hopes to expland the garden and its services this year. “But the real blessing is when we put (the produce) out,” for clients to pick what they want and can use, said Michael Banks, executive director of the Osceola food pantry. “There is very, very little waste.” We know that many different member agencies have access to fresh produce during the growing season. Tell us, how does your garden grow?
LOOKING AHEAD... Summer Food Program training, 10 a.m., May 15 Volunteer Management Workshop, May 21; sign-up on MSU’s website; $35 fee Food Safety class for pantries and feeding sites, Sept. 18