Over the past few weeks, York Garden Club has been gathering produce from their gardens, sorting them, bagging them, and then donating it to the Yorkfield Food Pantry, where it is all given to the needy in just days.

Donating fresh produce is a very refreshing change at the food pantry, as many people do not have access to their own produce to donate and instead donate non perishables, and the fact that produce is such a valuable and nutritious part of a person’s diet.

“There are very rarely pieces of fresh produce at the food pantry. People find it a lot easier to just donate the junk they eat in their normal lives,” said Julia Lamb, York Garden Club Mentor and volunteer at Yorkfield Food Pantry. “It really is important for them to be eating healthy produce, and Garden Club is really enthusiastic to provide that for them.”

The numbers may not seem large, but the impact on people’s health and livelihood is astounding.

“We donated about fifty pounds of produce in total, and when I went back after dropping it off, it was all gone because people just ate it up so quickly,” Lamb said. “It was astounding to me to see the impact we made.”

Garden Club’s work is far from over, and they are always accepting new members to help them gather, plant, tend to, and just provide general care for their gardens.

“We are going to continue to do these donations throughout the harvest season,” said Sophomore Brenton Russo, Garden Club President. “It is a great whole club, collaborative activity, and we really enjoy helping out the food pantry.”

Come join York Garden Club, Wednesdays after school in the Senior Courtyard!