According to AmpleHarvest.org,"an
estimated 100 billion pounds of food, enough to totally eliminate hunger, is
thrown away annually in the United States." Be shocked - and then make a
difference for your community by stopping the waste.
Regularly clean out your food pantry - - if you are not eating the food in
your home, donate it to a local food pantry before it gets outdated. If you grow
a garden and have leftover vegetables, do not leave it standing on the plants;
take it to a local food pantry and donate it to someone who could really use it
like we did. The giant box of veggies below represents just one delivery. Organizations like AmpleHarvest.org enable neighbors in need to
obtain garden fresh produce that might be left standing unharvested due to over
production in home and community gardens. Please send food pantry's that are
unregistered to this website to help make a difference for people in your
community.
Above is a video my daughter and I made about collecting vegetables
from the garden and taking it to be donated. Having my eight year old help plant
and grow the plants, then film our trip, gave her a strong sense of ownership
with the experience. Notice how excited and proud she is that she is bringing
"her baby" the pumpkin to give to some other child.
(To continue reading this post, please click on the link below...)
All of our children should understand and identify with the feeling of caring
for others, most especially those in need right in our very own neighborhoods.
Building our community means building our economy and contributing to the
emotional health of other human beings. Of all lessons in life, I believe this
one should take priority for our children.
Grow a garden if you can because it can make a real difference for the world.
Teach your family and neighbors how to grow a garden as well. Get started
planning right NOW - at the end of this gardening season - to plan for next
year's vegetable garden. Purposely plant vegetables which are easy to grow and
which might be mass producers so you can contribute more to help those who
really need it. If you cannot grow a garden on your property, invite your
neighbors to participate or build a community garden on a local community
property.
What will you do to have your children understand the importance of helping
the hungry?
Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The
Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com,
or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com
Filed under: Food & Health, Green Family
Tags: children, feed the hungry, food, food pantry, fresh food, garden, hunger, vegetables
