Crook County gardeners urged: Sow a row to help needy
Gardeners in Crook County can’t wait to exchange shoveling snow for shoveling dirt! They know it’s time to get started on their 2019 garden plan.
Crook County On The Move wants all local gardeners to know: Now is the time to plan on growing more food in 2019 to share with others. Sow an extra row or two of lettuce or carrot seed. Don’t be shy about growing another zucchini plant. Come harvest time, Share Your Bounty will publicize where and when to drop off the excess.
Crook County On The Move, a program of Crook County Foundation, is supporting Share Your Bounty , an initiative to promote gardening as a way to increase availability of fresh, locally grown produce in our community.
“Not everyone is able to garden, whether because of physical limitations, lack of space, or no spare time. Share Your Bounty creates the opportunity for more folks to participate in our harvest bounty,” said Kristi Hiaasen, project team member.
Last year, Share Your Bounty resulted in the donation of over 1,700 pounds of fresh produce to the food pantry at First Baptist Church. It came from multiple backyard gardens, our two Community Gardens, local farms, the FFA Land Lab and the OSU Extension Demonstration Garden in Redmond. Additionally some gardeners gave their excess directly to the Soroptimist Senior Center or Craig’s Compassionate Cafe.
Funding for Share Your Bounty is from a FEAST (Food, Education, Agriculture Solutions Together) Grant from Oregon Food Bank. The goal of grant projects is to strengthen the local community food system.
A surprising outcome of Share Your Bounty occurred as project team members learned that food pantry clients know how to use, prepare, and enjoy even fairly obscure vegetables. “Our experience disproves the myth that people don’t want healthful fresh produce,” said team member Carol Benkosky. “We were swapping recipes and cooking techniques in the church parking lot.”
Additional information:
The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act of 1996 protects the home gardener from liability when produce is donated to a non-profit organization. https://www.feedingamerica.org/about-us/partners/become-a-product-partner/food-partners has more information.
Crook County On The Move is a program of The Crook County Foundation. For more information, contact Brandi Ebner, Crook County Foundation Executive Director, at 541-362-1210 orInfo@CrookCountyFoundation.org. You can also visit: www.CrookCountyFoundation.org or www.CrookCountyOnTheMove.org.
