Garden Giving
What is garden giving?
Garden Giving connects home gardeners and with hunger relief organizations to help reduce waste and increase the amount of nutritious, locally-grown produce that goes to neighbors. If you grow extra produce in your at-home garden, you can make a difference by gifting your extra fruits and veggies to others in our community. You can find the nearest participating drop-off site (including about four dozen partner agencies in our 32-county service area) to drop off your gift.
fresh food connect
Want to share through Garden Giving? Your surplus produce won’t go to waste, and neighbors who need more healthy food will enjoy fresh, locally grown food.
Download the app on your device:
why garden giving?
More nutritious foods increase energy, improve focus and are proven to prevent or help manage chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes. In short, sharing healthier options empowers healthy futures and long-term food security.
Our Garden Giving program empowers individuals to donate homegrown produce directly to one of The Food Bank's partner agencies in their area.
Who Is Eligible to Donate?
Anyone who has an overabundance of produce from their garden can donate through the program and make a meaningful gift to neighbors! Visit the Fresh Food Connect app to see if there is a partner agency in your area who can make donating easy. If not, consider connecting with a partner agency near you to see how they can best use your donation. Note that pantries may have an easier time using your gift than meal sites.
Who Can use fresh food connect?
There are close to 50 partner agencies in our service area who are registered with Fresh Food Connect and ready to accept your generous donations of produce. Items you share will go directly to help neighbors in your community! We encourage you to download the app and learn more about the agencies near you!. Visit Fresh Food Connect to see if you're in a participating area. Then, sign up and start donating.
How Do I Donate through fresh food connect?
Download the Fresh Food Connect app using the iOS or Android button (left menu). Provide your ZIP code so that the app can identify your drop-off site. When you have produce to donate:
- click Share My Harvest in the app;
- select I’ll Drop Off to Nonprofit;
- log your donation; and
- indicate your time slot.