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Plant a Row Lehigh Valley Prepares for Second Season

Backyard gardeners from throughout the Lehigh Valley donated 1.5 tons of produce through the Plant a Row program last year.

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Plant a Row Lehigh Valley is now accepting online registrations for its second annual campaign to help home gardeners donate fruits, vegetables and herbs to food-insecure families and individuals in Easton, Bethlehem, Allentown and surrounding areas.

The latest data available from Second Harvest Food Bank shows that some 69,000 people in the Valley will need food assistance this year to avoid going hungry. Plant a Row Lehigh Valley, which is based in Hellertown, asks home gardeners to set aside one row of their gardens to donate to these food-insecure individuals and families, and it also accepts any overflow produce.

Last year more than 150 backyard gardeners signed up and donated 3,029 pounds of fresh produce to the hungry through Plant a Row Lehigh Valley. The donations consisted of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, including over 275 pounds of tomatoes and 215 pounds of squash. In total, the donations were enough for families to provide a serving of nutritious fresh produce for more than 12,100 meals.

As the 2017 campaign prepares to launch, the program has announced 12 donation collection points throughout the Lehigh Valley, where participants can drop off fruits and vegetables, That’s an increase of three compared to last year. Each week, volunteers with the program will transport donated produce from the collection points to food pantries and meal centers in Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton.

The program has continued to be warmly received by food security leaders in the Lehigh Valley.

“This is an idea that could be transformational to the Lehigh Valley and end food insecurity, while making us healthier and happier and more connected to our neighbors,” said Joyce Marin, Executive Director of RenewLV.

Plant a Row Lehigh Valley is the local campaign of the national Plant a Row program, sponsored by Garden Writers Association.

Since 1995, more than 20 million pounds of produce providing over 80 million
meals have been donated by American gardeners through this program.

Anyone who is interested in participating in this year’s campaign should register on the Plant a Row Lehigh Valley website, plantarowlv.org. Registering is important because it allows participants to receive detailed updates about donation dropoff locations and operating days and times.

Anyone with questions or comments can contact Plant a Row Lehigh Valley at in**@pl*********.org.

Note: The above is a news release from Plant a Row Lehigh Valley.

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About the author

Josh Popichak

Josh Popichak is the owner, publisher and editor of Saucon Source. A Lehigh Valley native, he's covered local news since 2005 and previously worked for Berks-Mont News and AOL/Patch. Contact him at josh@sauconsource.com.

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