PLANT A ROW for the Hungry  

The total donated for 2007 was 6041 pounds!  Many thanks to all donors; your contributions helped feed 551 hungry people every week!

2008 collections will be accepted every Tuesday from 9:00am to Noon starting June 10th through September 16th at the Chesapeake Extension Trailer Classroom located at the corner of Holt and Shea drives within the City Hall complex (click here for directions).  

Plant-A-Row for the Hungry (PAR), is a program sponsored by the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service, Chesapeake Master Gardeners and the Garden Writers of America. The PAR program exists on the premise that many gardeners have produce that is wasted during the height of the growing season at the same time that people are going hungry. PAR was established nationwide to help raise gardeners awareness of hunger and facilitate getting produce to those who need it. Locally, we take excess produce grown by Chesapeake residents on their own plots, farms, and backyards and donate the surplus to the city’s hungry.  Canned goods are also accepted.

Beginning in mid-June, the campaign urges local gardeners to take their weekly excess to the Extension Trailer Classroom in the Chesapeake Municipal Center. The fresh produce is then picked up by members of the Harvest Assembly of God on Kempsville Road who will use it to feed Chesapeake's needy. The food goes straight to those who need it with a minimum of handling and spoilage. 

You don’t have to have a huge garden, every donation helps. Even the smallest donation will benefit the hungry and teach lifelong lessons of compassion. We accept all kinds of vegetables, fruit, nuts and even herbs to be used in cooking and flavoring. In past years local gardeners have generously donated high-quality, nutrient-dense, fresh produce. Local farmers markets and farms are asked to donate fresh produce that will not last from one week to the next. If you have a fair amount of fresh produce and are unable to drop it off we will come and get it. And besides receiving that warm, giving feeling, the donors get another break - since it’s a charitable donation, there’s an income tax deduction that usually averages about $1.50 per pound. 

With the help of the Chesapeake Master Gardeners educating the community about this program we hope everyone will participate and make this a successful drive. Imagine how much food we could collect for the hungry in our city! 

The Extension Master Gardener Help Desk will be set up at the PAR site on Tuesdays to answer gardening questions with the latest research-based information. Gardeners are encouraged to bring in samples for diagnosis and solutions to gardening problems. If we cannot diagnose the problem on site, we will mail samples to Virginia Tech for laboratory analysis.
                    

Telephone us at: 757-382-6348                      

Visit us at: Chesapeake Extension Office

Email us at: gardener@cityofchesapeake.net

The Chesapeake Office is a part of Virginia Cooperative Extension, an educational outreach program of Virginia Tech and Virginia State Universities. We provide research based information through a system of campus and locally based educators.

Equal Opportunity Statement: Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, veteran status, national origin, disability, or political affiliation.

Last update: Monday, February 18, 2008 , P.Fisher. © 2007-2008 VCE Master Gardeners of Chesapeake