Do you have a little home garden? Are you worried what will happen to your bumper crop of zucchini and tomatoes this year? The United Way of Northern New Jersey may have a solution.
During the summer months when food pantries and soup kitchens traditionally experience a drop in food donations, United Way Pantry Partners is seeking help from home gardeners to bolster access to healthy, fresh foods at area food pantries and soup kitchens.
“Many home gardeners have a surplus of vegetables from their summer gardens that they share with families and friends,” said Eileen Sweeny, United Way Pantry Partners coordinator. “We’re asking them to consider planting an extra row of vegetables or sharing their surplus with families who can’t afford to purchase fresh produce.”
You can donate homegrown produce to the following four emergency food delivery sites on the days and times specified:
- First Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Montclair Pantry & Soup Kitchen, 15 Elmwood Avenue, drop off on Sundays between 10 a.m. and noon to the church basement.
- Human Needs Food Pantry, 9 Label Street, Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
- The Salvation Army, 13 Trinity Place, Monday through Wednesday, 9 a.m. to noon (use side entrance adjacent to parking lot)
- Toni’s Kitchen, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 73 South Fullerton Avenue, Thursdays, Fridays Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1p.m. and Sundays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information and to join United Way Pantry Partners in efforts to increase access to healthy foods at North Essex food pantries and soup kitchens, e-mail Eileen Sweeny or call 973.746.4040, x204. You can learn more about growing a home garden and donating food here.
