Many people don't realize that there are lots of food pantries that will accept home grown produce. You don't have to be a commercial grower with a license. There is a great website, AmpleHarvest.Org, where you can type in your zip code, and it will tell you which pantries near you will take your excess produce.

Nice thing about that is it's tax deductible!

(And I always grow more zucchini than I need too!)

Here is a link that might be useful: AmpleHarvest.org

Interesting, will check it. Thanks.

My squash is behind. It seemed to germinate a little faster than the melons (I reseeded b/c only 1 cantaloupe, and no watermelons came up) but still has only gotten any size in the past week. Seemed like it sat there with only 1 true leaf forever. And the squash bugs are out already! I was hoping the bitter winter killed them, but DH had put multiple layers of burlap on the beds where the squash were last year (why he didn't spread the load out over the garden I don't know, he piled all the bags on the 2 beds by the gate) so I guess they were warm and cozy.

Looks like it might be another late year like last year, when it was end of July before I had any squash (and then the SVB got it)?

Thanks for the link. I had emailed our state coordinator for the foodbank and she told me Salvation Army so I took 78 tomato plants and 25 heads of lettuce there yesterday, but now I see there is a food bank even closer, no need to drive into the city!

Thanks for the link

I stumbled on the site a few years ago and was glad I did. I had what ended up being 150 lbs of produce I took up one year. The man told me it would be gone within an hour as getting fresh vegetables is rare. He gave me a receipt and I got a nice little tax write-off.

Loribee- where did you end up taking your excess to? I'm already overwhelmed with zucchini and crookneck, and I only have one plant of each!
I retired last summer and don't have the office to take the excess to. Actually, I guess I still can! Nancy

Loribee, thank you !!! I went to the website and found a drop off close to where I live. I'm so happy to have found such a great program and will absolutely give. Thank you !

You're welcome folks! I was pretty excited about it when I found it also. There's quite a bit of misinformation about food banks not taking produce from home gardeners. It's absolutely not true.

Nancy, haha, I just gave you the info on another thread because I hadn't seen this yet. But I've taken produce to the Redwood Empire Food Bank in Santa Rosa. I believe the Petaluma Salvation Army accepts produce too, but their drop-off hours aren't convenient for me, so I haven't gone there.

I did see just last year that Sonoma County is asking ardeners who donate or sell at farmers markets to register with the county. The registration is free, you fill out a form on the internet and print the certificate when you're done. I don't know if anyone is requiring it, because I haven't donated to a bank in a couple years. (I've got neighbors struggling to make ends meet, so all my extra produce has been going to them lately.) But you may want to call the food bank and double-check just in case.

Food pantry in my town doesn't take produce b/c they don't have refrigeration - I was surprised the SA did. But this other bank 3 miles away next town over (I live on town line) apparently does have fridges since it's listed on that site as taking produce. Must be small not for state coordinator to have known about it? Only open a couple of days a week.

galinas, what are the names of the squash varieties you are growing this year?

The food bank in our area that accepts produce is the largest in our county. I don't know about CT, but CA does not have any statewide bans on food banks accepting produce.

Sadly, there's one right in my town, but they don't take produce for the reason you said. One thing AmpleHarvest.org does is also work with food banks to help them understand what they need to do to pass local ordinances for perishable items. You don't always need a refrigerator. For instance, if food is delivered to families on a certain day, produce can be accepted that morning. It's overnight storage they aren't allowed, so many can get around it by making sure produce is delivered the same day it's accepted. Also, not all produce requires refrigeration.

I definitely recommend anyone wanting to donate, first call the food bank though. Both banks that take produce in my area have very specific days and hours you can drop off.

I actually don't have so much surplus, cause I do have neighbors who enjoy my produce, but I did hear of something called "plant another row" to donate to food pantries.
I have more than an acre, so could easily do that! Nancy

If you do, I've been told it's best to plant regular varieties of vegetables that people are accustomed to seeing in the stores. Folks going to food banks are very rarely exposed to uncommon varieties (like funky cucumbers) and often don't know what they are or how to cook with them.

annew21 , I have Caveli and Perfect Pick, seeds from Jung. It is first time I try both. They both doing pretty well. Too well I should say)

Good point, Loribee. Like no cherimoyas. This fall I'm going to plant tons of peas, radishes and spinach to donate. These are common veggies. I thought I could grab a few bags of oranges, potatoes and apples at the 99 cent store too. I would like to get a few bunches of celery, and a jar of peanut butter to give with each bunch.

Definitely sounds better than the "canned pasta" (Chef B?) and the like that our food pantry is always looking for. DH and I shudder at the diet of people who go to it, if they don't supplement with fresh foods from somewhere else. What's wrong with dried pasta and jarred sauce? They're shelf-stable - might not be any more nutritious (?) but cheaper and to us more palatable.

I think a lot of the people using the FP in our town might be elderly, cooking (or warming up) for 1.

I don't know if state regulates what the food banks can take to that extent, like you said they probably require refrigeration for things like milk (obvious), eggs (not so much but I won't get into that), but leave it up to the food pantry to decide whether to take perishables like squash, corn, etc. things that aren't refrigerated in the grocery store.

You may want to check with your community garden(if you have one) too. Mine serves as a collection site for food pantries.

Deeby, that is really thoughtful. I know it will be appreciated!