Grow2Give
At this time of year, we often think of what we are thankful for, and give to others in need.
With many food pantries and soup kitchens relying on donations or cheaply purchased leftover or unwanted food, fresh fruits and vegetables are a rare sight among staples like canned beans, rice and day-old bread. With a short shelf life, it’s not surprising: produce may be harvested at a farm days or weeks in advance of arriving at a distributor before it is transported again to neighborhood grocery stores. If it sits on the shelf too long, it’s more likely to spoil and be unsafe to eat, which often happens before the produce can make it to a pantry.
Many gardeners choose to grow their own food for different reasons: to eat more seasonally, to show their children where food comes from, or to have the fresh, healthy food for dinner. However, some gardeners grow food for others who cannot, or for people who otherwise would not have access to fresh produce. Since the beginning, Peterson Garden Project has worked with volunteers who grow food for neighborhood pantries and soup kitchens in each of their pop-up community gardens. These volunteer gardeners not only have their own plot at the garden to tend, but also prepare, plant, water, weed and harvest produce in the Grow2Give plots between April and November every year. This huge undertaking requires coordinating watering schedules, frequent garden visits, and sometimes harvesting in the rain or cold to get the produce to the pantry during a narrow drop-off time.
In 2018, our Grow2Give volunteer gardeners grew 1,775 pounds of fruits, herbs, and vegetables just for our neighborhood pantries and soup kitchens: Howard Area Community Center in Rogers Park, Inspiration Café in Uptown, Lincoln Square Friendship Center in Albany Park, North Park Friendship Center in North Park, Care for Real in Edgewater, and First Slice Pie Café in Albany Park. Additional produce harvested from community gardeners’ plots (while folks were out of town, or during the gleaning after gardens closed) was also donated.
Fresh herbs and produce are treasured items here – luxuries that our clients could never purchase on their own…The difference that your donations make in the lives of our clients is a significant one.
-Lyle Allen, Executive Director at Care for Real
What does it mean to grow almost one ton of food? When the cheapest food is often the least healthy, the produce that is donated to places that serve others in need is essential for a better diet. This year, our Grow2Give volunteers grew tomatoes, celery, peppers, chiles, salad greens, cooking greens, summer squash, potatoes, onions, tomatillos, raspberries, beans, peas, fennel, corn, eggplant, and over 35 different herbs and edible flowers.
I very much like to help people and my love for gardening is a great way to make it happen.
-David, Ashlandia Grow2Give Leader
If you’re wondering how to get involved in Peterson Garden Project’s Grow2Give program, sign up here. We are also looking for volunteers to help us with our annual garden gleaning, November 5-11, 2018. If you are unable to donate your time, please consider a cash donation to help buy seeds, seedlings, and fertilizer for growing vegetables in over 100 garden plots.
written by Breanne Heath
I am interested in volunteering with the Grow to Give program. I have spoken with Lindsey during my volunteering time at the Fearless Food Kitchen on yesterday April 28, 2015.
Hi She’Lon, Thanks for your interest in volunteering with Grow2Give! Please send an email to [email protected] with your contact information.
can you use strawberry plants for grow to give? let me know. my plot is overrun with them. they’re delicious
thanks, carolyn
My artist coop is renting the former gas station space on diversey in addition to the building next door. We need to make it a garden. Please consult.
Send an email to [email protected] with more details please!