Gardeners share yield with food banks

The spirit of growing food and sharing the bounty with others has taken root with many in the South County during the current economic recession, and the interest hasn't come from only one source. Food banks report churches, schools, community groups and backyard farmers have all started aiding local food banks that are seeing greater numbers of people ask for assistance.

"All of the (food) pantries have started getting more residents contributing," said Christine Haggard, community organizer for Shasta County Public Health and member of the Shasta Food Group.

Even the clients who go to the food banks for assistance contribute.

"It is happening on a large scale," Haggard said.

About 80-90 percent of the food banks in Shasta County monitored by Shasta Food Group have clients bringing in their extra produce to donate, she said.

The same has been seen at Anderson Cottonwood Christian Assistance, according to Bill Thurman, site manager.

Thurman also credited about 40 residents beyond the dedicated community gardens who have donated produce as a part of the Plant a Row for the Hungry campaign.

Many gardens in recent years were founded to help local food banks. The ACCA community garden, founded in 2009, has been delivering up to 400 pounds of produce per week to the food bank, Thurman said, saying that amounts to about three pounds of fresh vegetables per family.

"It's kept us from having to give out canned vegetables," he said.

The food bank is still limiting its clientele to one visit per month instead of two visits, due to increasing demand, according to Barbara Thurman, the food bank client services manager.

The extra donations have allowed the food bank to conserve its canned goods, with an eye toward providing Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner baskets, she said.

Other gardens include an acre and a half at Anderson Community Church on Balls Ferry Road. The new garden, which received a $4,000 grant from Mercy Medical Center, contributes to food banks from Redding to Cottonwood.

"The whole concept was to provide for the South County," according to Pastor Les Baugh, who said the garden has been yielding two pickup truck loads per week this summer. "We will absolutely continue it year after year. We thought we could make a difference with families."

The Cottonwood Creek Watershed Group's new community garden at Evergreen Middle School has provided about 30 pounds per week this summer to the Shepherd's Heart Food bank at First Baptist Church in Cottonwood, according to Keith Hackney, garden coordinator.

Winter crops will soon be planted at the garden, Hackney said of the garden that holds a five-year lease with the school.

Other gardens include a community garden at a Mill Street apartment complex in Anderson and another garden, though fallow this year, operated on Balls Ferry Road by the Shasta County Citizens for Healthy Environment.

Haggard credited the influx of interest in healthy eating to the businesses, schools and groups that have repeated the importance of healthy eating. A message, she said, that has been emphasized or funded by U.C. Davis Cooperative, Shasta County Public Health, Healthy Eating Active Communities, and the City of Anderson.