Plant a Row feeds the ‘new poor’
Mary Anne Hughes calls them the
”
new American poor.
”
As director of Hollister’s Community Pantry, a food assistance
program, Hughes is seeing these folks up close and personal every
single day.
Plant a Row feeds the ‘new poor’
Mary Anne Hughes calls them the “new American poor.”
As director of Hollister’s Community Pantry, a food assistance program, Hughes is seeing these folks up close and personal every single day.
“This is a new kind of needy American. These are people who are accustomed to having sufficient income but lose their jobs. After the unemployment runs out, the savings account is used up, and the search for a new job is unsuccessful, comes the shocking reality that these people fit the description of the ‘new American poor,'” Hughes says.
They often don’t qualify for government assistance, she says, and they are too proud to let people know they need food. “The stress of this situation causes serious family problems as people lose their self-esteem and hope,” Hughes says.
These are among the San Benito County folks to whom the Community Pantry is reaching out to help every day. “We’re here to form a bridge over these difficult times.”
Help for the community, by the community, is at the heart of Plant a Row for the Hungry. Once again this year, backyard gardeners and small growers have faithfully supported Plant a Row for the Hungry by sharing bags and boxes and pallets of fresh produce.
How much? This year’s total hit 12,728 pounds of donated produce over the summer growing season. It’s a few pounds short of a record, but very impressive considering 2006 has not been a good gardening year. First a cool spring with late planting, then sizzling temperatures in July hurt garden production. People shared what they could. More than six tons of fresh food found its way into food bags to help those in the community who need it most.
The Pantry serves 2,232 individuals, many of them seniors and children. Each week the Pantry distributes about 900 food bags. Some 340 bags are distributed on Wednesdays at Vet’s Park. That same day 120 bags are distributed to San Juan Bautista and Armona. Then another 120 bags are delivered to the Senior Center and Villa Apartment area. In addition, 18 volunteers deliver to individuals who cannot get out of their homes. Thursday through Saturday, Hughes says, many of the Pantry’s working clients come to the Pantry to pick up their bags. Saturday deliveries are made to the migrant camp and homeless.
Every single piece of fruit and vegetable from the Plant a Row gardeners helps, Hughes says. “We often need smaller quantities (of fresh food) for people who are not in our bag distribution program but find themselves in an emergency situation. It’s a pleasure to hand a child a fresh orange, or a handful of cherries, and see the excitement that food brings particularly to little ones.” Hughes says.
Nothing goes to waste. Not one zucchini, not a single soft tomato or wormy apple. “If there is produce that has passed its prime, we have agreements with three different partners who either feed it to their animals or compost it,” she says.
This is the sixth year the Pinnacle News has brought Plant a Row for the Hungry to our community. Over those six years, a total of more than 70,000 pounds of fresh vegetables and fruit has found its way from backyard gardens and specialty growers to the Pantry and then onto the tables of our neighbors who need it most. Plant a Row for the Hungry is a national program of Garden Writers of America.
Besides the home gardeners who share produce, some of the local growers who help out the Pantry are Phil Foster Ranches-Pinnacle Brand, Grant Brians Ranch, Frazier Lakes Farms, Coke Farms and Heirloom Organics.
Although the Plant a Row project is officially over for the season, the Pantry is always in need of fresh food and welcomes donations throughout the year.
The garden season is over. But hunger is with us always.
Community Pantry is located at 30 Airport Ave., Hollister. For information on donations, or details on how to become a Pantry client to receive food, call 637-0340. The Website is www.communitypantry.com.
E-mail Joan Jackson at [email protected].
