Deana Wise, Broomfield County
Every
year the bounty of the garden seems to change. Some years there are so many
tomatoes harvested, everyone is making sauces and salsas. Other years, many
gardeners have given up on home-grown tomatoes; forced to wander the Farmer’s
Markets and grocery stores. The one vegetable that always seems to thrive is
Zucchini.
Some gardeners are quite masterful in using
this veggie in creative ways in the kitchen. Others take them to offices,
churches, and other places where they are left on tables while the gardener
makes a speedy exit. It is worse than trying to get rid of Iris.
One
solution is to donate excess fresh veggies to the food bank. Ok, where? There
are many food banks, food pantries, and other non-profit soup kitchens in
Colorado. A good place to start is Feeding Colorado. According to their website
“Feeding Colorado's purpose is to coordinate and enhance food resources among
the state's food banks and to support the mission of Feeding America. The food banks are 501(c) (3)
non-profit organizations. They receive broad community support from
individuals, corporations, local governments, faith communities and
corporations.” (http://feedingcolorado.org/ ).
Feeding
Colorado is comprised of five large food banks: Food Bank of the Rockies,
Community Food Share, Food Bank for Larimer County, Weld Food Bank, and Care
and Share Foodbank for Southern Colorado. Together, they send food out to 1500
other nonprofit agencies. To find a food bank in your area use this link http://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank/ . H UD also has a website for foodbanks.
I
know this is a busy time for everyone, please take time to donate any excess
fresh produce you have. Someone somewhere would love to have fresh veggies,
even if it is Zucchini.
Thanks, Deana- Now I know what to do with all that zucchini! Great reminder to donate our extra produce. -- Jane
ReplyDeleteI volunteer at the Larimer Co food bank, and the fresh produce is always a big hit. Even those huge zucchinis that you find hiding under the leaves.
ReplyDeleteThanks Deana, one of my fav parts of gardening is to give to those in need! Well said.
ReplyDeleteI just discovered that the Parker Task Force (Food Bank for Douglas/Elbert County) does accept fresh produce! I was so excited to be able to give my excess to several families to use. I was fretting about the extra produce going to waste/compost pile. This note was a wonderful reminder! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI just discovered that the Parker Task Force (Food Bank for Douglas/Elbert County) does accept fresh produce! I was so excited to be able to give my excess to several families to use. I was fretting about the extra produce going to waste/compost pile. This note was a wonderful reminder! Thank you!
ReplyDelete