Your source for fruit and vegetable news
Latest News
Blogs/Links
Features
Classifieds
By Bobbie Whitehead
With a handful of seeds, North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue helped plant a community garden at the Executive Mansion.
Produce harvested from the garden will benefit the InterFaith Food Shuttle, a nonprofit food pantry in Raleigh. The garden where Perdue helped plant corn, beans and squash is one of many in North Carolina with sponsors participating in the Garden Writers Association’s Plant a Row for the Hungry (PAR) program.
Established in 1995, PAR campaigns involve gardeners and farmers growing an extra row of produce for donations to food pantries and soup kitchens.
With a handful of seeds, North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue helped plant a community garden at the Executive Mansion.
Produce harvested from the garden will benefit the InterFaith Food Shuttle, a nonprofit food pantry in Raleigh. The garden where Perdue helped plant corn, beans and squash is one of many in North Carolina with sponsors participating in the Garden Writers Association’s Plant a Row for the Hungry (PAR) program.
Established in 1995, PAR campaigns involve gardeners and farmers growing an extra row of produce for donations to food pantries and soup kitchens.
North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue joins Logan's Trading Company and InterFaith Food Shuttle in their Plant a Row for the Hungry campaign at the Executive Mansion (Photo Courtesy of the North Carolina Office of the Governor).
Plant a Row campaigns begin, one with N.C. governor
“Logan’s Trading Company, a local garden center, and InterFaith Food Shuttle are the sponsors,” said Justin Guillory, N.C. Governor’s Office spokesperson. “They took one of the larger beds at the Executive Mansion where the Governor lives to use in the PAR campaign.”
Other N.C. communities holding PAR campaigns include Durham/Chapel Hill, Winston-Salem, Wilmington, Smithfield, Asheville, Caldwell County, Guilford County, Oak Island, Pittsboro, Rockingham County and Union County, according to the GWA.
Gardeners and growers anywhere can support food agencies by planting an extra row of fruits and vegetables or gleaning their harvests for donations.
Since PAR’s establishment, the GWA reports that American gardeners have donated more than 14 million pounds of produce, amounting to more than 50 million meals.
A major sponsor of the national PAR campaign as well as a partner, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has donated funding to community gardens as part of its corporate “Give Back to Gro” program. This year, Scotts Miracle-Gro selected seven garden sites – Houston, West Palm Beach, Fla.; Bentonville, Ark.; Atalnta; Bronx, N.Y.; Marysville, Ohio; and Charlotte, N.C. – and gave each site $10,000, said Carol Ledbetter, PAR program administrator.
“Scotts Miracle-Gro is in charge of choosing the locations for the program, and some of these community gardens are in locations where the residents are in need of food,” Ledbetter said.
Associates at Scotts Miracle-Gro corporate headquarters in Marysville, Ohio, have a community garden they tend, and they donate the harvest to a local pantry, Ledbetter said.
GWA initially partnered with Scotts Miracle-Gro to raise awareness about hunger and the PAR program it had established, she said.
For communities wanting to launch an independent campaign to aid food pantries, PAR may provide help through press releases, among other aids, to inform the media, Ledbetter said.
“We might also put different community garden organizers in touch with other like groups,” she said. “If the community doesn’t know of a location where they can donate their produce, we can help with that, too.”
To start a PAR campaign or a local campaign, visit the Garden Writers Association to download and print a brochure.
For more information on community gardens and food pantries, visit AmpleHarvest.org or FeedingAmerica.org.
Bobbie Whitehead is a member of the Garden Writers Association.
Other N.C. communities holding PAR campaigns include Durham/Chapel Hill, Winston-Salem, Wilmington, Smithfield, Asheville, Caldwell County, Guilford County, Oak Island, Pittsboro, Rockingham County and Union County, according to the GWA.
Gardeners and growers anywhere can support food agencies by planting an extra row of fruits and vegetables or gleaning their harvests for donations.
Since PAR’s establishment, the GWA reports that American gardeners have donated more than 14 million pounds of produce, amounting to more than 50 million meals.
A major sponsor of the national PAR campaign as well as a partner, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has donated funding to community gardens as part of its corporate “Give Back to Gro” program. This year, Scotts Miracle-Gro selected seven garden sites – Houston, West Palm Beach, Fla.; Bentonville, Ark.; Atalnta; Bronx, N.Y.; Marysville, Ohio; and Charlotte, N.C. – and gave each site $10,000, said Carol Ledbetter, PAR program administrator.
“Scotts Miracle-Gro is in charge of choosing the locations for the program, and some of these community gardens are in locations where the residents are in need of food,” Ledbetter said.
Associates at Scotts Miracle-Gro corporate headquarters in Marysville, Ohio, have a community garden they tend, and they donate the harvest to a local pantry, Ledbetter said.
GWA initially partnered with Scotts Miracle-Gro to raise awareness about hunger and the PAR program it had established, she said.
For communities wanting to launch an independent campaign to aid food pantries, PAR may provide help through press releases, among other aids, to inform the media, Ledbetter said.
“We might also put different community garden organizers in touch with other like groups,” she said. “If the community doesn’t know of a location where they can donate their produce, we can help with that, too.”
To start a PAR campaign or a local campaign, visit the Garden Writers Association to download and print a brochure.
For more information on community gardens and food pantries, visit AmpleHarvest.org or FeedingAmerica.org.
Bobbie Whitehead is a member of the Garden Writers Association.
| Seed Companies |
| NC Markets |
| VA Markets & Roadside Stands |
| Community Supported Agriculture |
| NC Markets & Roadside Stands |
| VA Markets & Roadside Stands 2 |
| Calendar |
| Market Nonproduce Products |
| Season Guide |
| Garden Tips |
| Disclosure |
| Fruit and Veggie Info |
| Events/People |
| Gardening How To |