May 5, 2008
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“Plant A Row for the Hungry” campaign strives to stem hunger in Ulster County
KINGSTON - The long awaited vegetable planting season has arrived, and the Master Gardener program is looking for gardeners to help feed the hungry in Ulster County by joining their Plant A Row for the Hungry campaign.
They are asking vegetable gardeners to grow a little extra this season, or bring their excess produce to Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County, 10 Westbrook Lane in Kingston.
Nutrition program educators will use and distribute the produce collected when they go out to teach their hands-on programs that work with low-income families, children, and seniors residing in Ulster County. Donated produce will also be given to food pantries in Kingston and New Paltz. Home gardeners participating in this years program will receive one free soil test, an informative packet with suggestions of what to grow, and how to plant them, and free “Plant A Row” veggie markers for their garden.
It took the first five years to reach the major milestone of a cumulative total of one million pounds of donated produce. In the next six years, more than a million pounds of food was donated each year. The agency said that is a significant contribution considering that each pound of food makes four meals. In 2005, more than 1.5 million pounds of produce were donated generating meals for over 5.5 million needy recipients. The total produce donations through 2005 reached nearly 10 million pounds of produce to help those in need in communities throughout the U.S. and Canada.
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