Area food banks fatten up

You did it again folks. It was a glorious vegetable garden season this year and you did yourselves proud by funneling 50,000 pounds and counting of desperately needed fresh produce to local food banks as part of the Plant a Row for the Hungry project.

“Plant a Row made a big difference this year,” said Barbara Bennett, director of Spokane Valley Food Bank. “We had a real reduction in donations of canned vegetables so it made all the difference in whether we could give people vegetables.” Bennett added that demand isn’t slowing either. “We had a record number of requests the last week of October.”

One of those donating to this year’s effort was Jackson Romney, 14, of Newman Lake. While his buddies were out doing the usual things teenage boys do over summer vacation, Romney spent his summer growing a vegetable garden in a field behind his house. His efforts provided the Spokane Valley Food Bank with 1,467 pounds of fresh produce, and put him one step closer to his Boy Scout Eagle rank.

“I didn’t really want to do it at first,” said Romney. “Then I went to the food bank with my mom, and saw all the people lined up. I realized it would be a really good project.” Romney’s mother, Lynette, had worked on a Plant a Row project last year through their church. The project got under way when neighbor Dan Emert offered a spot in his field and then cleared the ground for Romney.

“It made me feel really good that I was helping to feed all these people,” said Romney.

Bennett and the staff at Spokane Valley Food Bank were equally impressed with Romney’s efforts. “I thought what (Romney) did was great. Not too many teenagers think of that as a project,” said Bennett.

Spokane wasn’t the only region in the Inland Northwest involved in this year’s Plant a Row effort. Three food banks in Bonner County joined the project spurred on by the efforts of community member Ann Warwick and the Bonner County Master Gardeners. Community members in Sandpoint, Clark Fork and Old Town, Idaho, donated 4,525 pounds of garden fresh food to the West Bonner County, the Bonner Community and the Clark Fork food banks respectively. “We had set a goal of 1,500 pounds,” said Warwick. “But more important than the produce was the fact that it made people realize there are hungry people in Bonner County.”

What to get involved next year? Now’s the perfect time to start planning for your youth, church, community, neighborhood group or even just your family, to participate. All it takes is a space with lots of sun, access to water, good soil and a willingness to share the fruits of your labor with folks who can use it. If you don’t have a garden, join us to help us get the word out. This is a campaign of awareness more than anything.