At this point in the season, most gardeners have an excess of something. There’s only so much zucchini you can pawn off on friends, so here’s a new option to widen that circle and get fresh produce to people who really need it. We were excite to learn about a new program from Grow Pittsburgh, whose mission is to “demonstrate, teach and promote responsible urban food production”. Here’s a place to donate that excess — in their words:
Hi all you wonderful community food gardeners!
I hope you all have such bounty this season that you have a surplus to share with those in need! FYI: the Food Bank has started an exciting new program that can help connect willing consumers of those extra zucchinis.
Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank is asking for donations of your homegrown produce as part of our Community Harvest Program. Gardeners can bring any excess produce to The Urban Gardener at 1901 Brighton Road on the Northside or Penn Hills Lawn and Garden Center at 200 Jefferson Road on the intersection of Rodi Road in Penn Hills. Donations will be accepted every Saturday, between 10am to 2pm from August 6 through October 15. Your extra produce can help fight hunger in your community.
If these drop off locations aren’t convenient for you, you can use Food Bank’s pantry directory to find pantries in your neighborhood that may be able to take your donations.
For more information please contact Kerri LaCharite at Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. 412-460-3663 x214 or klacharite@pittsburghfoodbank.org.
Happy harvesting!
Want to donate, but can’t make the trip? Contact us! If enough people are interested, we can collect produce at the PHCA office, and do a large delivery to the food bank next week, probably on Thursday. Call us at 412.681.1950, or email phcapgh@gmail.com.
As a person on the recipient end of the food chain, I’m wondering how/where we might avail ourselves of the wonderful bounty? Thank you to all for making this happen!
You would contact the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. In Polish Hill, you would get in touch with Jubilee Kitchen, which does food distribution on Wednesdays from their satellite office at 3101 Brereton Street.
Can we donate there, at Jubilee Kitchen?
Dana,
Jubilee’s Polish Hill distribution office is only open one day a week, and they only distribute packaged goods. To our knowledge, they don’t have facilities to store produce there. You may wish to contact Jubilee’s main office directly for information. Their number is (412) 261-5417 and the website is http://jubileesoupkitchen.org/.
We’re not sure if Jubilee Kitchen gets food from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, which is the organization doing the excess produce donation program.
PHCA