Produce helps squash hunger
Published: Saturday,
August 22, 2009
By
Nicholas Graziade
Latham Life
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Nicole Bolognino, a Roma Importing
employee, with the Squash Hunger bin. |
LATHAM—For 34 years, the Capital District Community Gardens (CDCG)
has served the Capital Region as a non-profit dedicated to community
gardening and fresh, healthy food. Since 2004, the CDCG has offered
an initiative to help those in need. Their program, known as “Squash
Hunger” is designed to bring fresh produce to the less fortunate.
According to the CDCG website, people across the capital region are
encouraged to “Share your love of fresh, healthy produce with those
who don’t get enough nutritious food.”
“It’s a program we started five years ago to attempt to get fresh
produce into the hands of people using food shelters,” said CDCG
Executive Director Amy Klein.
In the five years that the program has been in practice, Squash
Hunger has collected over 50,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables,
all donated by members of the community.
Originally, it was born of a program known as “Grow an Extra Row,” a
program that targeted gardeners and farmers to grow additional
crops. However, as Klein elaborates, “grow an extra row was not very
successful because it was very difficult to get people to donate
because the pantries had very [inconvenient] hours.”
In response, she said, “We established bins for convenient times and
locations. We do all the legwork.”
There are many ways to contribute to the Squash Hunger program. Many
are obvious extensions of Grow an Extra Row, suggesting that
gardeners and farmers continue plant just a few more plants
specifically to donate. “We really encourage farmers or [Community
Supported Agriculture],” said Klein.
“Most participants are gardeners – home and community – and farmers
as well,” she continued.
However, donations are not limited to those with a green thumb. “We
also encourage people who go apple or berry picking in the fall to
pick a little extra,” she said. Additionally, anyone shopping for
produce is encouraged to buy a little extra for the collection bins.
“You could just be a shopper to participate,” she adds, “many bins
are located at farmer’s markets or grocery stores. We have bins in
the Delmar Market Place, Greulich’s Market in Schenectady, the Roma
Importing Company in Latham, and the Honest Weight Food Co-op in
Albany.”
Additionally, several Hannaford’s markets feature collection bins.
“We try to be spread around the region,” said Klein.
One of the major goals of the program revolves around the nutrition
provided by fresh fruits and vegetables. While many food pantries
are able to provide just enough food to help someone get full, they
do not always offer the healthiest options. This is, of course, due
to the nature of their donations (such as easily preserved foods).
Regardless, the Squash Hunger campaign continues to bring in fresh
food.
“We give people opportunities to access fresh food, especially in
urban areas where it isn’t easy to access fresh produce,” Klein
said. “There are all kinds of health issues plaguing our society
that are affected by nutrition [problems]. No group is more affected
than the poor. We really try to give them access to the healthiest
food possible.”
The program itself is an effort that lasts throughout the entire
growing season. It beings on June 15 and runs until the end of
October. Locations all over the Capital Region receive the benefits
of the Squash Hunger program. Schenectady, Albany, Troy, West Sand
Lake, Rensselaer, and Altamont are all cities and towns that receive
the aid.
Interestingly, the downsides of the economic circumstances have not
had a major affect on the Squash Hunger program, revealing that
generosity within the community knows no bounds. However, Mother
Nature has played a role in the program, and the erratic gardening
season this year has had a greater affect than usual.
According to the CDCG website, almost one million people in New York
are affected by hunger and rely on emergency food programs. Nearly
80,000 children, 86,000 adults, and 13,500 seniors are affected in
the Capital Region alone. Additionally, children are often more
affected during the summer months because of the unavailability of
school-based food programs.
You can find out
more information about Squash Hunger and the CDCG by visiting their
website,
www.cdcg.org.
Donation of produce
to Squash Hunger can be made at Roma Importing Company, located at 9
Cobbee Road in Latham. They can be reached by phone at (518)
785-7480.
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