Community Garden to Help the Hungry

You may remember that I headed up my church's charity music festival, Joyful Noise, this past summer.  It benefited the Quakertown Food Pantry--one of loads of similar organizations in our area that help thousands of families acquire the most basic of needs--food. 

As you travel throughout Bucks County and other areas near here, you can't be struck by the bounty of incredible food that's available to us from wonderful local farms, restaurants and specialty stores.  It makes you wonder how there could be any hungry families around here.  But there are.  Thousands of our neighbors' children go to bed hungry, not knowing where their next meal is coming from.  The numbers can be astounding.  Read this article that I wrote last spring for more statistics that will blow you away.   

There are some positive signs, though.  One of these signs is the formation of a community garden on the grounds of Delaware Valley College in Doylestown.  According to an article in last Sunday's Intelligencer, an acre of land at the school will be used to grow food--under the supervision of students and faculty--that will be donated to the Bucks County Opportunity Council, which will then distribute the food to various agencies and food pantries around the county. 

This is huge for people who use such organizations.  Very often, fresh fruits and vegetables are the foods that get sacrificed by families in need--even though they're the most important for a healthy diet.  The DelVal program will help to spread these healthy foods to families that need such foods badly. 

Tackling hunger is a huge task, but it can be done.  The DelVal community garden may be a small step, but it's one in the right direction.  A lot of small steps can cover a lot of ground. 

It reminds me of favorite quote by Chinese writer and inventor, Lin Yutang who said, "Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence."  Let's hope that the efforts at DelVal lead to a long road ahead.

In Case You Missed It...

The August 4 issue of the Intelligencer/Record featured a big article about local farmers' markets by Food Editor Betty Cichy.  I was fortunate to be featured in her visit to the Indian Valley Farmers' Market.  A photo and blurb about me was included in addition to the recipes of the dishes I made that day. 

It wasn't posted on line by the newspaper, but if you didn't see it in the paper, you can read it here: Page 1 and Page 2. 

It's a great article to learn about all the many markets that are at their peak these days.  Check it out go visit some of them!