Staving Off Hunger One Garden at a Time

AmpleHarvest.org...and its impact on Hunger in America

By Gary Oppenheimer

AmpleHarvest.org Founder

CNN Hero

According to a 2009 study by the National Gardening Association and Scotts Seed Company, more than 40 million American grow fruit, herbs and vegetables in home gardens – and that number is increasing.  These gardeners, given good soil, access to water, lots of sun, and a little bit of luck, typically wait for months for their crops to start bearing fruit.  Once they start the harvest, they use, preserve and share the bounty... but the squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. keep on coming and from personal experience, I can tell you that there are only so many cucumbers you can give to friends and still have them call you a friend.  While some gardeners compost the excess produce, many others simply let it rot in the garden or worse, throw it into the trash, adding to the waste stream and causing the release of methane gas as it decomposes - contributing to climate change.

According to the USDA, more than 50 million Americans are food insecure – a fancy way of saying people either do not have enough food or they are at real risk of not having enough food for their families.  After hearing numbers like billions and trillions thrown about by government officials, it is somewhat easy to start to think that 50 million is not all *that* big after all.  To put it in perspective,  if you took the combined populations of 23 of our 50 states: Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and West Virginia and added together, you’d have around 49 million hungry or nearly hungry people.   Some may be your neighbors.  Or you may be one of them yourself.

In late 2008, the members of the West Milford (NJ) Community Garden, unhappy with the fact that the excess food they grew in past years was often left to rot in the garden while people in the community were going hungry, created a program that gathered the excess garden bounty, sorted and then distributed it to several food pantries in West Milford.  The gardeners reported a great deal of personal satisfaction knowing that they were making an important contribution to the welfare of the community while also pursuing the sustainability goal of zero waste.  At the same time, food pantries, which typically only have canned fruit and vegetables available, reported that this garden fresh produce was being taken by clients almost as fast as it became available.

In May 2009, a nationwide program called the AmpleHarvest.org Campaign was created to enable gardeners who grow fruit, vegetables, herbs or nuts to share their excess harvest with a local food pantry – easily found at www.AmpleHarvest.org or at the free AmpleHarvest iPhone or Android apps.

Backed by Google Inc. and the US Department of Agriculture, more than 4,700 food pantries across all 50 states can now receive garden fresh produce from local backyard gardeners who use AmpleHarvest.org.  In August 2011, AmpleHarvest.org was highlighted on the White House web site (www.AmpleHarvest.org/WhiteHouse).

This one of a kind program has garnered an enthusiastic response nationwide.  For example, the Community Resources Center Food Pantry (California) reported:

 “Within one hour of registering Community Resource Center on the Ample Harvest website I received a call from a local family of four with 10 orange trees. I spoke with the mother of the family and she said that until she heard of AmpleHarvest.org her family was spending time cleaning up rotten fruit off the ground. Now her family can spend time harvesting fruit to give to low income families in their community. Since speaking with her, she has dropped off 8 large bags full of locally grown oranges”

Providing fresh produce to local food pantries offers a number of benefits to both the recipient as well as the community.  Not only is fresh produce healthier than canned (no excess salt or sugar in the diet) goods, it tastes a lot better, has a much smaller carbon footprint and has eye appeal too.  Children, given the opportunity to enjoy fresh veggies are more likely to eat a healthier diet as they get older.  

According to an article about AmpleHarvest.org in the Huffington Post, the more fresh produce people have access to, the lower our national long-term health care costs will be.  Lastly... by helping to feed our neighbors in our community instead of throwing the excess away, we both reduce the waste stream and we reduce the out of pocket costs needed to keep people from going hungry.  All this because an ample harvest was given to a pantry and not wasted.

The AmpleHarvest.org Campaign has been successful largely due to help and support from people in communities across America... and you can help too!  As more food pantries learn about it and sign up, more gardeners across the country will be able to share their ample harvest, and garden by garden, hunger in America will be diminished.

• If you know of a food pantry in your community, possibly in your house of worship, a local YMCA or other civic location please visit AmpleHarvest.org/addpantries to learn how you can help your local food pantry benefit from the AmpleHarvest.org Campaign.
• If you belong to a community organization, please share with the other members, information about AmpleHarvest.org and urge them to share the information with their network of friends and family nationwide.
• Urge your local print and electronic media outlets to consider reporting on AmpleHarvest.org.  Press information is available at AmpleHarvest.org/press
• If you grow food in a home garden and harvest more than you can use, preserve or give away, please use AmpleHarvest.org or our iPhone or Android app to find a local pantry eager for your excess harvest
• If you belong to a community garden or CSA, please let the other members know that they can donate excess food.
• Print the AmpleHarvest.org/gardenershop flier to learn about how you can help nursery/garden shop customers learn more about AmpleHarvest.org

One out of every six Americans are hungry. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Visit www.AmpleHarvest.org/waystohelp to learn more.

Colon Cancer Alliance Gives Nearly $125,000 in Grants

Colon Cancer Alliance's Blue Note Fund Celebrates First Year With Nearly $125,000 in Grants

The Colon Cancer Alliance's Blue Note Fund, a program providing financial support for colon cancer patients in need, celebrated its first year by awarding grants totaling nearly $125,000 to more than 400 patients. This year, in an effort to support the growing need of its beneficiaries, proceeds from the Colon Cancer Alliance's nationally recognized Dress in Blue Day program will go toward the fund.

"I donated to the Blue Note Fund because it's a charitable effort that has a positive impact on people living with colon cancer," said Daniel Prewitt. "I know firsthand how overwhelming colon cancer treatment can by physically, emotionally, and financially. During tough times, any help patients and families receive to pay their bills is welcomed. The demand for these funds is staggering. If you're going to donate to a cause, make it this one!"

Since its inception, the Blue Note Fund has received more than 1,000 applications from patients facing financial hardship during treatment, and with applications soaring nearly 350 percent from the first to fourth quarter of 2011, it's important to ensure that funding grows to meet the rising need. The success of the Blue Note Fund has kept the phones ringing at the Colon Cancer Alliance Helpline call center with application requirement questions as well as "thank you" calls from grant recipients.

"Every day, we hear from people who have had their lives devastated by colon cancer. The need for the Blue Note Fund is abundantly clear," said Andrew Spiegel, CEO of the Colon Cancer Alliance. "We've seen first hand the positive effect the fund has on a patient's spirit when fighting this disease."

An estimated 142,000 new cases of colon cancer will be diagnosed in 2012. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. However, through recommended screenings, this cancer can be caught early when treatment is most effective—or even prevented altogether when pre-cancerous polyps are detected and removed.

The Blue Note Fund is a collaborative effort between the Colon Cancer Alliance and Board Member Charlie Kelley, a Grammy nominated producer and musician. The fund's name is derived from a soulful musical term "Blue Note," as well as the color blue—the official color of colon cancer awareness.

For more information: www.bluenotefund.org.