ARTICLE OPTIONS
The Geneseo-Groveland Emergency Food Pantry is encouraging local home gardeners to donate some of their yield to help the food pantry offer fresh produce to its patrons.
“It’s wonderful to have fresh produce to give our clients,” Judith Hunter, volunteer co-coordinator of the food pantry said. “The more fresh food we can give, the happier we are. It’s just so much more healthful than canned.”
Hunter and Betsy Matthews, the other volunteer co-coordinator, have been doing their best to adjust to the increasing numbers the pantry is feeding. Hunter described the heavy traffic she observes in a typical day at the food pantry.
“We fed 17 households, 55 people altogether, just today — and the middle of the month is usually our quiet time,” she said. “Last month we had 13 new households and today alone we’ve had five new families.”
As the desire for produce has been rising, the food pantry is asking that local home gardeners join the efforts of the Community Garden Coalition to help meet the nutritional needs of the hungry.
The Community Garden Coalition is a partnership of several local church gardens, including St. Timothy Lutheran Church and Central Presbytarian Church, aiming to nourish families by giving most or all of their harvest to the food pantry. In addition to member churches starting gardens to help supply food pantry clients, the coalition is extending to the community, asking that area residents consider committing parts of their home gardens to growing fruits and vegetables for the food pantry.
The food pantry, operated by 36 volunteers, runs entirely on donations and grants. To adapt to the surge in clientele, a grant has recently been acquired to be used for the salary of a part-time leadership position.
“We are very lucky to have secured the grant money,” Hunter said. “We’re accepting applications for a pantry manager.”
The food pantry is part of Foodlink, a Rochester-based nonprofit organization dealing with food insecurity in more than 10 regional counties. The food pantry works from nutritional guidelines provided by Foodlink. Each client the food pantry supplies may select certain numbers of products from different food group categories based on the size of their household.
“Foodlink recommends that about half a person’s plate be fruits and vegetables,” Hunter said. “Most of those donations we get from home gardeners.”
The food pantry is appreciative of any donations.
“Last week somebody brought in two huge bags of spinach, and that went fast,” Hunter said. “We have a chicken farmer who has brought fresh eggs. It all helps.”
About every six weeks, the pantry places orders with Foodlink to cover gaps in donations as well as certain staples that many donors do not realize food pantries distribute. Matthews pointed out that toiletries, basic hygiene items and paper goods, which are not covered by food stamps, are household necessities.
“You can go without tissues, without paper towels, but you shouldn’t have to go without toilet paper,” she said. “Another popular thing is dish detergent and laundry detergent. People are really happy when they can get their hands on that.”
