We plant a row for a women's shelter. Peas, beans, pepper, squash, potatoes, carrots are what everyone knows what to do with and have some shelf life.

Dan

I'd go with veggies that are commonly familiar, easy to prepare, and keep for a while without refridgeration.

Green beans, peppers, cucumbers, summer squash, tomatoes, melons, sweet corn and the like.

I'd avoid novelties like tomatoes in colors other than red, peppers not shaped like bells or hotter than jalapenos, and things not commonly found at the area's cheapest grocery store (Aldi? Save-a-lot?). Judging from both my factory co-workers' reactions to some of the things I brought in my lunch and what gets left behind at our church's food pantry the majority of poorer people are very suspicious of unusual food.

I couldn't try to give away leafy greens in my climate since the summer heat would cook them in transport/storage, but in your zone you might manage lettuce and cabbage too.

Don't forget the onions - fairly easy to grow, produce well, store well, and are used in a lot of dishes.

Best of luck!

What a great idea! You've just given me the idea to have my little boys grow their veges and take them to the local pantry. I always donate our extras but for them to start out planting for a purpose is awesome! Sweet radishes and carrots. Also maybe some herbs, parsley and basil - these can be dried and used thoughout the year. Good luck!

These are good suggestions. I would also ask at the pantry what their clients like, and maybe hang around after you make a donation and see how the people who come in respond.

I give away a lot of garden veggies to the local shelter, and the people who come in seem to know their produce and love to get any fresh food, but especially leafy greens like chard, lettuce, and arugula.

Be prepared to wash everything, pick leaves from stems, etc. -- just as though you were preparing a stand at the farmers' market. Don't bring in too much at once; a little daily is better than a big delivery weekly, because the pantry probably has limited refrigeration and shelf space. If possible, bring your food in the morning, so that the pantry volunteers can put it out right away and clients can take it throughout the day. And thoroughly refrigerate your produce before bringing it in; it will last longer on their shelves and on the way to the clients' homes.

We donated over 1000lb of Danver carrots to one of our local food banks in 2010. We planted them in our spring "bare space" that the winter squash and melon vines roamed into after early July. The carrots were out by end of July.

We planted carrots for the food bank because that crop gives some flexibility on when you have to harvest it as well as controlled the weeds in our melon/squash beds!

When we sold at the farmers market, the low income coupons given out by the government were mostly used for potaotes, tomatoes, and fruit.

Check with your local food bank on their guidelines on food donations. Our produce did NOT need to be washed. We sorted and trimmed the first batch but the next batch was only sorted - we were told no need to trim or bundle.
I think you'll find their need is great enough that the bank is just glad to have the donations of fresh produce. We delivered boxed in a pick-up truck and they dumped all into a bin that was gone the next day.

Yep, common and recognizeable is best. I'm sure anything you grow will be greatly appreciated. Good of you to do that. When I retire and have time to do more extensive gardening, I hope I can do the same.
If you're looking for suggestions for specific varieties, I'd recommend something like Better Boy tomato (yeah, I know - you wanted OP, but when you're trying to get as much produce as possible in a small space, hybrids will do better), California Wonder bell pepper, Nantes Carrot, Marketmore cucumber, Provider green beans - all 4 of these are available in organic from Park Seed. I'd grow the cucumbers on a trellis to save space. You could even grow pole beans instead of bush beans for the same reason. Things like head lettuce or cabbage are nice, but you can't feed as many people as with things that produce multiples.
Best of luck with your garden - I'd love to hear the results later this summer!

Consider the ethnic factor too. Here in the city of Detroit collards or kale will be much appreciated, as are garlic and beans, and all greens in general. It is the traditional African American diet (and also similar to much of South America): rice, beans, greens and pork. I have a similar diet, grow a lot, give away a lot, and easily see that a collard is more valued than a bag of tomatoes.

Also I notice that the inner city gardens have relatively many more greens than suburban gardens (and fewer fruiting veggies), and farmers growing in Detroit (there are many now, selling at farmer markets) also have nice selections of same.

I donate common varieties to local food shelves, and I commend all gardeners who do this, but I especially like to donate to our seniors in local assisted living communities and subsidized elderly apartment housing.

Most of the older folks around here gardened until they weren't physically able, so they have a keen interest in all the vegetables I grow because they grew many of them themselves in the past. Many of these folks want the varieties you can't find in a grocery store. They also know and appreciate the difference between store bought and vine ripened produce. Many are house-bound and can't physically get to the local food shelf, grocery store, or farmer's market, so they appreciate being able to choose their own produce rather than having others shop for them. There are some who can afford grocery store prices for mediocre produce but can't afford the prices of some of the quality produce at farmer's markets.

This year I am growing some heirloom varieties I have never grown before because some of my new friends requested them. I am also trying to become more sensitive to ethnic and cultural tastes, and this year I am growing some new things I never would have considered in the past, which is a benefit for me as well.

Some speak of their favorite vegetable varieties they used to eat as a child or used to grow in the 40's, 50's, or 60's that I can't find seeds for anywhere, which I find very troubling. Thank goodness for the seed saving movement of today or many more varieties would surely be lost.

Lastly, many of these folks are lonely and absolutely love talking to someone outside of their generation with whom they have a shared interest. To be frank, I love seeing the appreciation in their eyes and I am becoming selfishly addicted to it.

Regards,
-Tom

Tom,
Don't give the seniors fresh vegetables ,give the soylent green, it is a wonderful product with a vast array of vitamins packed into every ounce, it is "high-energy vegetable concentrates." to the extreme.It is a small green wafer which is being produced from "high-energy plankton." It is much more nutritious and palatable than the red and yellow varieties,don't even get me started with "Brown 23"