A group of gardeners in Philadelphia is taking home less than half of its crop this year and giving the rest to local soup kitchens and food pantries.
Volunteers at the Doylestown Mennonite Church turn up twice a week to tend their varieties of plants including tomatoes, peppers, carrots, potatoes, squash, beans, herbs and flowers, with a view to helping the community when it comes to harvesting it all up.
Ginny Kane, a retired secretary who lives in Plumstead, told phillyBurbs.com that she is "absolutely thrilled" to be in a position to help those who are less fortunate in the community.
Church pastor Randy Heacock said the initiative at Sandy Ridge Community Garden, organised by Sharon Shaw, dovetails perfectly with the aims of his church to help everyone in the local region.
"What we have is for all," he commented. "And Sharon's desire to have the garden reach out to food pantries, that just sits very much with our desire. There are people in need and we can easily help with that."