Feed the Hungry Project needs more participants

Friday, June 5, 2009, 10:19 AM

Posted by George

By George Freeman

This e-mail was received from David and Vicky Trippe on June 4, 2009, and since it relates directly to gardening and sharing the bounty of our efforts, I wanted to pass it along. The Trippes would welcome your sharing it with any interested friends. You can reach them by e-mail at d.trippe@mchsi.com.

As follows:

Our gardens are producing food, farmers markets are active, and itÂs

time for those of us willing to help FEED THE HUNGRY to begin our

food production, collection and delivery efforts. Please read the

description of the service project and, if you are willing to

participate, reply to this e-mail or call me at 865-6333 and tell me

what you are willing to do: grow food, be a collection point, deliver

collected food, or deliver food from a farmers market.

The "Harvest on Wheels" service project, which was initiated during

Jackson Day, has several parts.

FIRST, gardeners are being asked to "PLANT A ROW FOR THE HUNGRY" and to donate their extra produce to the Ozarks Food Harvest or to any local

food pantry, homeless shelter or soup kitchen.

SECOND, volunteers are being asked to place collection containers near

their homes where neighbors can donate extra produce. People willing to

have their homes be NEIGHBORHOOD COLLECTION POINTS will be given

identifying signs. They will also receive a letter describing the

project which can be given to neighbors who might be willing to

participate.

THIRD, those volunteers (or others who canÂt be collection points but

are willing to drive) will DELIVER FOOD TO THE HUNGRY. Drivers could

take food to the closest food pantry, homeless shelter or soup kitchen.

On weekdays food could be taken to Ozarks Food Harvest, a food bank

which provides food to food pantries in 27 counties. Any day the

Salvation Army or The Kitchen could accept and use fresh produce. Lists

of participating agencies can be provided to anyone who wishes to find

the closest delivery point.

FOURTH, volunteers could pick up food donated by venders and DELIVER

FOOD FROM FARMERSÂ MARKETS to the food provider the driver chooses.

Southwest Missouri Democrats are sponsoring the project, and the

Well-Fed Neighbor Alliance, Ozarks Harvesting Hope, Ozarks Food Harvest,

The Kitchen and Community Christian Church have agreed to participate.

All of you are encouraged to invite organizations in which you are

active to participate too.

HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE WAY THE PROGRAM COULD WORK: David and I are growing food and being a collection point. I will put letters on the

doors of neighbors, inviting them to place food in a container I have

already put on my front porch. On Wednesdays David Adams, a neighbor

who has volunteered to drive, will take food to the Ozarks Food Harvest.

On Sundays David and I will take food to Community Christian Church, add

it to the food collected by other church members, and deliver it to The

Kitchen.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE: Linda Powell-Bossi has volunteered to go to the

Battlefield Mall farmers market on Saturdays, pick up food donated by

vendors at the end of their selling day, and deliver it to the Kitchen.

Linda would welcome help from volunteers who would be willing to take

her place some Saturdays for the duration of the growing season.

Volunteer to do what you can, and letÂs see what we can do to ALLEVIATE

HUNGER IN THE OZARKS.

More than 20 people (including several of you receiving this e-mail) have

already agreed to be involved in the "Harvest on Wheels" project.. This

e-mail is intended to identify others who also wish to participate. If

you have not already signed a volunteer form, but you want to help,

please reply to this e-mail or call me and tell me what you wish to do.

Thanks for your participation,

Vicky Trippe