KEEP THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT ALIVE YEAR-ROUND: PLANT A ROW

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture 1 in 8 households in the United States experiences hunger or the risk of hunger. Many skip meals and often go without food for an entire day. About 33 million Americans including 13 million children, have substandard diets or must seek emergency food aid.

The Garden Writers Association in conjunction with the GWA Foundation, launched a program in 1995 to encourage gardeners to plant an extra row of produce each year and donate their surplus to local food banks, soup kitchens and service organizations to help feed America’s hungry. As a result, over 14 million pounds of produce has been donated by American gardeners and has provided over 50 million meals.

But more can be done. If every household with a yard or garden in the U.S. planted just one extra row of vegetables and donated their surplus to local food agencies and soup kitchens, we could make a real difference in solving the major issue of hunger in America. People helping people is such a simple, but effective way to feed the hungry. Call the PAR Hotline at 1-877-492-2727 for your local food organizations that need your home-grown fruits and vegetables and plant an extra row and visit www.gardenwriters.org for more information.