Community Action Food Pantry Co-op joins AmpleHarvest.org

 

[March 11, 2021] 

Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois’ (CAPCIL) Food Pantry Co-op is pleased to announce that it has joined the AmpleHarvest.org Campaign - a nationwide program to enable neighborhood food pantries to be easily located by local backyard gardeners wishing to share their excess garden bounty with neighbors in need.

With one out of six American families now relying on pantries to help feed them, the pantries often have a hard time meeting the demand.

At the same time, millions of backyard gardeners across America frequently find that their vegetable, fruit, herb and nut gardens provide far more produce than they can possibly use or share with friends. The remainder is often either left to rot in the garden or put into the trash, which contributes to pollution issues.

Gardeners who want to share part of their harvest are often unable to find local pantries because they typically do not have a yellow page listing or an Internet presence.

Food pantries almost never have access to fresh food due to the structure of the American food bank network leaving food pantry clients with access only to canned vegetables and fruit, often packaged with sugar or salt – which can contribute to long term health issues.

To address this, the AmpleHarvest.org web site enables food pantries to register their name, phone, address, an optional photograph of the pantry to make it easier to find, and day[s] and time[s] they can accept the gardeners produce. Gardeners and other donors also have the option of using the AmpleHarvest iPhone and Android apps available as a free downloads.

Now that CAPCIL’s Food Pantry Co-op is a part of the AmpleHarvest.org Campaign, area backyard and community gardeners will be able to quickly find the pantry using the personalized driving instructions available on the site. More than 6,000 (and growing) food pantries participate nationwide.

According to AmpleHarvest.org founder and CNN Hero Gary Oppenheimer, “In 2007, my own garden grew more produce than we could possibly use, and I quickly found that there are only so many cucumbers you can give to friends and still have them call you a friend. Our community garden also left a lot of produce to rot on the vines. What a waste. That was when it became clear that AmpleHarvest.org was desperately needed.”

CAPCIL’s Food Pantry Co-op welcomes fresh produce donations for its clients. Additionally, information will be posted from time to time by the pantry on the site, listing those store-bought items that are in short supply at the pantry – this to enable anyone wishing to help their neighbors in need.

CAPCIL’s Food Pantry Co-op focuses on the encouragement of giving back through volunteering while serving the nutritional and basic needs of the community. They offer Co-op members weekly volunteer opportunities to give them a sense of purpose and the option to learn new skills. Members are eligible to shop each week in a grocery style setup. This is where they can choose items based on their household preferences. “We are thankful that we can serve emergency situations and provide volunteer opportunities. Our Co-op gives households the opportunity to feed their families without putting stress on their financial situation.” Said, Breann Titus Director of Agency Development

AmpleHarvest.org (www.AmpleHarvest.org) is a nationwide 501(c)3 not-for-profit anti-hunger effort, backed and supported by Google Inc, the USDA, National Gardening Association, Rotary International, Feeding America and most of America’s food banks as well as the National Council of Churches, which educates, encourages and empowers millions of growers across America to share their excess garden produce with a local food pantry.

[Breann Titus
Director of Agency Development
Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois]