Get Growin' for Food Gatherers!
| Faith and Food | Plant a Row for the
Hungry | The Gathering Farm
quick links and documents:
Faith and Food
Faith and Food was created in 2009 in response to the
historic faith-based efforts to address hunger in our community.
Food Gatherers has always relied on donations of fresh produce
for distribution to those in need, and started a coordinated campaign
to encourage congregations to start a Faith and Food garden, or
continue/expand a current garden. Each faith garden is asked to
devote at least 50% of their garden for donation to Food Gatherers;
the remainder may also be donated, shared or sold among the congregation.
Most gardens are located on-site but some congregations gather
items from their home or community gardens for collective donation.
Feedback from participating congregations and partners indicates
continued enthusiasm for growing food for donation. We will continue
the Faith in Food program in 2010. Strong partnerships with the
Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice and Growing Hope were
vital to the success of the pilot program, as were the participating
congregations who worked hard and donated an impressive
3,500 pounds of food in 2009! Additional in-kind resources
have been identified and will be available to congregations participating
in 2010, and Food Gatherers will continue to partner with ICPJ
and Growing Hope to provide support to Faith and Food gardeners.
If you would like to contact someone at Food Gatherers
regarding the Faith and Food program, please email getgrowing@foodgatherers.org
or give us a call: 734-761-2796
Below you will find:
- Faith and Food overview
- steps for setting up a Faith and Food program
- information for current Faith and Food gardeners
- a list of the most-requested food items
- resources for gardeners
Faith
and Food Overview:
Thank you for your interest in growing healthy food for donation
to Food Gatherers! Congregations have been instrumental in hunger
relief for a long time, and we're so glad that many have added
a gardening/urban agriculture component to fight hunger locally.
- Faith and Food Gardens are traditionally at least 20' x20',
either in raised beds or in the ground.
- Some congregations with limited space
have decided to collect items from home gardens and combine
them in a collective donation. Individual gardeners can also
participate in the Plant
A Row for the Hungry campaign.
- Congregations are asked to donate at least 50% of their yield
to Food Gatherers for distribution to partner programs feeding
those in need. The remaining items may be donated, sold or shared
among the congregation.
- Your congregation is responsible for setting up, maintaining,
harvesting and getting the food to Food Gatherers
- Resources are available for new or experienced gardeners (read
"Resources for Gardeners" below for details)
- Getting the food to Food Gatherers
- download our Handy
drop-off info sheet!
- drop it off at our warehouse
(special extended drop-off hours on Wednesdays until
7pm!)
- drop it off at English Gardens - 155 N. Maple Road,
Ann Arbor (Mon-Sat 9am-9pm, Sun 9am-6pm)
- if you drop it off at English Gardens, please
contact us to give us an estimate of the weight
so we can record it for your specific garden, otherwise
it will be combined with other donations. It will
still go to people in need, it just won't be counted
in your congregation's total at the end of the season.
- coordinate with our Faith and Food team during a site
visit - more info will be available soon.
- Attend informational meetings, garden tours and wrap-up meetings
at ICPJ
Steps
for setting up a new Faith and Food Garden:
- We need to know a little bit about you and your garden so
we can properly document your contribution and communicate with
you effectively. There are 3 ways to share this
information with us:
- Download this information
sheet ,
print it and mail it to us (address is on the form), or
scan and email
it to us.
- Fill
out this online
form and we'll get your information right away (just
click "submit" at the bottom of the online form!)
-
Call us and we can take the information over the phone
- Plan your garden! Please consider growing items for donation
that are most needed by Food Gatherers:
- collards
- cauliflower
- cabbage
- cantaloupe
- broccoli
- carrots
- potatoes
- peas
- green beans
- Roma tomatoes
- peppers
- winter squash
download
a sample planting schedule
- Coordinate with your congregation to determine your garden
needs - location, capacity and work plans. Consider attending
educational programs through Growing
Hope or Project
Grow Community Gardens
- We need to know a little bit about you and your garden so
we can properly document your contribution and communicate with
you effectively. There are 3 ways to share this
information with us:
- Download this information
sheet ,
print it and mail it to us (address is on the form), or
scan and email
it to us.
- Fill
out this online
form and we'll get your information right away (just
click "submit" at the bottom of the online form!)
-
Call us and we can take the information over the phone
- Get your hands in the soil and start growing!
- Getting the food to Food Gatherers
- download our Handy
drop-off info sheet!
- drop it off at our warehouse
- drop it off at English Gardens - 155 N. Maple Road,
Ann Arbor (Mon-Sat 9am-9pm, Sun 9am-6pm)
- if you drop it off at English Gardens, please
contact us to give us an estimate of the weight
so we can record it for your specific garden, otherwise
it will be combined with other donations. It will
still go to people in need, it just won't be counted
in your congregation's total at the end of the season.
- coordinate with our Faith and Food team during a site
visit - more info will be available soon.
[top of page]
Info
for Returning Faith and Food Gardeners:
- Thanks for helping out in 2009 and for
continuing in 2010! Every bean, every pepper and every tomato
help nourish our community!
- You can continue your garden as is,
or make any changes that you'd like!
- Because we are past the "pilot"
phase of Faith and Food, paperwork will be much simpler this
year. All we ask is that you let us know you're participating.
- We need to know a little bit about you and your garden
so we can properly
document your contribution and communicate with you effectively.
There are 3 ways to share this information with us:
- Download this information
sheet ,
print it and mail it to us (address is on the form),
or scan and email
it to us.
- Fill
out this online
form and we'll get your information right away (just
click "submit" at the bottom of the online
form!)
-
Call us and we can take the information over the phone
- You can still drop drop off produce at our warehouse
(special extended drop-off hours on Wednesdays until 7pm!),
or you can drop it off at English Gardens - 155 N. Maple Road,
Ann Arbor (Mon-Sat 9am-9pm, Sun 9am-6pm)
- if you drop it off at English Gardens, please contact
us to give us an estimate of the weight so we can record
it for your specific garden, otherwise it will be combined
with other donations. It will still go to people in need,
it just won't be counted in your congregation's total at
the end of the season.
* Don't forget! Congregants with their own gardens
can donate as well, either through an established Faith and Food
garden at their place of worship, or through the Plant
A Row for the Hungry campaign.
[top of page]
Most
Requested Food Items:
Please consider growing items for donation that are most
needed by Food Gatherers:
- collards
- cauliflower
- cabbage
- cantaloupe
- broccoli
- carrots
- potatoes
- peas
- green beans
- Roma tomatoes
- peppers
- winter squash
download
a sample planting schedule
[top of page
Resources
for Gardeners:
[top of page]
(photos courtesy of Andrew Miller)
|
