With summer just around the corner, our Grow-A-Row program is going to be blooming in no time! Grow-A-Row is a great way to help those who need it most. The program takes homegrown produce donated by local gardeners and uses it to create fresh, nutritious meals for our clients. If you’ve been looking for a meaningful way to give back to your community, now is your chance! Simply grow extra produce of any kind and any amount and drop it off at our office. We will handle the rest! In case you weren’t convinced, check out this list of five reasons why you should get involved with Grow-A-Row this year!
- It’s an easy and affordable way for you to give back to your community
Donating to Grow-A-Row is simple and hardly costs a dime. It is a great opportunity for those who may not be able to donate otherwise. All it takes is a little bit of time and a green thumb! You just plant extra produce in your garden and drop it off at our office after harvest. We will even accept produce in its fresh out-of-the-ground state, dirt and all!
- You will be supporting the health of your homebound, and senior neighbors
As well as adding freshness and flavour to meals, your donated homegrown produce also supports the health of your homebound neighbors! With your help, we are able to pack our menu with nutritious meals that our clients enjoy. Many of the produce donations we receive – like rhubarb and different types of squash – we don’t order from our food suppliers. This means that through your donations, you are allowing our kitchen staff to get creative with the menu and prepare unique dishes that we wouldn’t otherwise serve! Plus, the addition of seasonal fruits and vegetables adds variety, which is important for a well-balanced diet!
- You will be helping us keep the cost of our services low
Donating your extra homegrown produce to Grow-A-Row provides our clients with fresh, locally sourced meals, without the added price! Last year, the Grow-A-Row initiative brought in 5,591lbs. of produce. If you think about how much produce costs per pound, you can see just how much of a difference your contributions make! We haven’t raised the cost of our Daily Meals since 1995. It has been generous donors like you, who have enabled us to keep the prices low. With your help, the cost of produce does not limit our ability to provide clients with a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fresh herbs in their meals.
- Zero waste!
When you donate your gardens’ bounty to Grow-A-Row, you can be certain that none of it will go to waste. There is no limit to the amount of produce we can use! Your donation will be used in the daily meals or cut and frozen for future meals. Every bit will be used. This way our clients will receive fresh, garden produce throughout the year, and there is zero waste!
- You will brighten someone’s day
Summer wouldn’t be the same without the variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables that the warm weather brings! But for a large number of our clients, planting a garden or visiting a local farmers market isn’t an option. They may not even be able to participate in the summer activities they once enjoyed. This is why our clients love Grow-A-Row. Like many of us, our clients know that the warm months have arrived when they taste fresh and flavourful produce in their meals. They enjoy the variety of fruits and vegetables that can only be found in the summer. This is why they are so thankful for gardeners like you who have kept them in mind when it becomes time to harvest. When you donate to Grow-A-Row, you are giving your homebound neighbors a taste of summer that everyone deserves to enjoy.
So, how can you get involved? Simply grow an extra row of produce in your garden and bring it to our office (11111 103 Ave.) between 8:00 AM and 6:30 PM, Monday through Friday. Please call 780-429-2020 for more information about dropping your homegrown produce off.
