Many eager-beavers, seed catalogs in hand, are already itching to start digging in the good earth to plant their summer gardens.
But whoa! Have patience. It’ll be awhile.
However, now is a good time to do garden planning. And why not, as part of that planning, decide to “plant a row” for those in need?
Catholic Charities of Central Minnesota promotes a great idea called “Plant a Row, Harvest a Row.” It’s a way for area food shelves, senior-dining facilities and Meals on Wheels to receive local fresh-grown produce right from area gardens.
It’s such a simple – but effective – good deed. Gardeners plant an extra row of anything they choose, and then they bring the harvested foods to any local or regional agency that helps feed the hungry.
There are numerous examples of the successes of this type of charitable gardening. For examples:
- The Rice Food Shelf has often distributed fresh-grown veggies contributed by home gardeners in that area.
- The Rejuv Medical facility in Waite Park created a Community Giving Garden on its property, and last year it delivered almost 300 pounds of produce to the Senior Dining Program at Whitney Senior Center.
- In 2015, Catholic Charities expanded the Plant a Row, Harvest a Row program to all of its 60 senior-dining sites in central Minnesota, and more than 10,000 servings of locally grown fresh fruits and veggies were served to congregate diners and Meals on Wheels clients.
- Recipients are so grateful for the fresh produce. A woman in Milaca said the fruits and veggies she received made it easier to manage her and her husband’s diabetes.
- Donations of fresh produce are used in a variety of delicious ways: in salads, sandwich wraps, dessert sauces, soups and casseroles. Some are frozen for later use.
There are many donor sites to which homegrown produce can be delivered.
Gardening planners might want to check senior-dining locations nearest to them. They can be found via www.ccstcloud.org.
Catholic Charities Emergency Services accepts produce at 157 Roosevelt Road in St. Cloud. They are accepted at Door D from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and until 6 p.m. Wednesdays.
To find out more, or how to become part of the Community Giving Garden partnership program, call Mare Simpler, specialist for Catholic Charities health promotions, at 320-229-4591.
Plant a Row, Harvest a Row is a great way to enjoy gardening while helping others become healthier in the process.
