Hays County Food Bank Helps Link Local Neighborhood Food Pantries

Hays County Food Bank is pleased to announce that it has joined the AmpleHarvest.org Campaign – a nationwide program to enable neighborhood food pantries to be easily located by local backyard gardeners wishing to share their excess garden bounty with neighbors in need.

With 25,380 individuals food insecure in Hays County, it can be difficult to supply everyone with the fresh produce they need to live a healthy lifestyle. Our Adopt A Farm program and partnership with local neighborhood gardens has increased our clients’ access to fresh produce, however we always need more.

Millions of backyard gardeners across America frequently find that their vegetable, fruit, herb and nut gardens provide far more produce than they can possibly use or share with friends. The remainder is often either left to rot in the garden or put into the trash, which contributes to pollution issues.

Food pantries almost never have access to fresh food due to the structure of the American food bank network leaving food pantry clients with access only to canned vegetables and fruit, often packaged with sugar or salt – which can contribute to long term health issues such as diabetes and/or obesity.

To address this, the AmpleHarvest.org web site enables food pantries to register their name, phone, address, an optional photograph of the pantry to make it easier to find, and day[s] and time[s] they can accept the gardeners produce. Gardeners and other donors also have the option of using the AmpleHarvest iPhone and Android apps available as a free downloads.

Now that Hays County Food Bank is a part of the AmpleHarvest.org Campaign, backyard gardeners and farmers will be able to quickly find the pantry using the personalized driving instructions available on the site. More than 6,000 (and growing) food pantries participate nationwide.

According to AmpleHarvest.org founder and CNN Hero Gary Oppenheimer, “In 2007, my own garden grew more produce than we could possibly use, and I quickly found that there are only so many cucumbers you can give to friends and still have them call you a friend. Our community garden also left a lot of produce to rot on the vines. What a waste. That was when it became clear that AmpleHarvest.org was desperately needed”.

Hays County Food Bank welcomes fresh produce donations for its clients. Additionally, information will be posted from time to time by the pantry on the site, listing those store bought items that are in short supply at the pantry – this to enable anyone wishing to help their neighbors in need.

About AmpleHarvest.org Inc.
AmpleHarvest.org (www.AmpleHarvest.org) is a nationwide 501(c)3 not-for-profit anti-hunger effort, backed and supported by Google Inc, the USDA, National Gardening Association, Rotary International, Feeding America and most of America’s food banks as well as the National Council of Churches, which educates, encourages and empowers millions of growers across America to share their excess garden produce with a local food pantry.

You can help eliminate hunger in Hays County by making a donation to support the Hays County Food Bank. Your gift enables the Food Bank to provide nutritious food to our community. Visit HaysFoodBank.org or call (512)392-8300 to make a donation, for details about public distributions, volunteer opportunities, the Get FED, HOPE and YEAH programs, and upcoming events.

The Hays County Food Bank, along with more than 40 partner agencies, distributed 528,964 pounds of food to more than 18,000 food insecure residents, including senior citizens and many others facing economic challenges, in 2014. “Food security” refers to the availability of food and one’s access to it. The Food Bank is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit us on Facebook or Twitter at @HaysFoodBank.