Church plants rows for the hungry

The patch of ground west of Veradale United Church of Christ’s parking lot may not look impressive now, but just wait until later in the summer when beans climb their poles, the zucchini grow faster than they can be picked and the tomato plants hang heavy with juicy red orbs.

The church’s garden, which quadrupled in size this year, is planted to benefit the Spokane Valley Partners food bank. Church members got the idea a few years ago from a newspaper column about the “Plant a Row for the Hungry” campaign to encourage gardeners to donate excess produce to food banks.

They started small, with just a 10-foot by 10-foot plot. “Out of that little garden we got a couple hundred pounds of food for the food bank,” said the Rev. Linda Crowe. Soon the patch was expanded and an irrigation line was put in under the parking lot for easier watering, which cost the church $2,700. The garden has expanded regularly since then. “Last year it was 1,000 pounds of produce,” Crowe said.

Some new members helped spur this year’s expansion. “Some new people have come who love to garden who have time and energy.”

With the larger space the list of what has been planted reads like a Burpee seed catalogue. There are three kinds of beans, two kinds of onions, carrots, beets, cabbage, eggplant, artichokes, three kinds of melons, three kinds of berries, potatoes and rhubarb. And don’t forget the herbs, radishes, greens, pumpkins and corn. “We expect it to be knee high by the Fourth of July,” said church member and garden volunteer Glen Scott.

On a recent Sunday a special ceremony was held to bless the garden and the children planted pumpkin seeds. “Caring for creation and being green is popular right now,” Crowe said. “That’s something we try to teach and live.”

Many volunteers help weed the garden. Scott, who helps out to benefit himself as much as the needy, said there’s a spiritual aspect to weeding. “I think we get more out of it than (recipients) do,” he said. “It’s the one time in my spiritual life that I can meditate. In the midst of that, something happens that is unspeakable. It’s not something you can put into words.”

The church near the intersection of Progress Road and Broadway Avenue has only 100 members and is somewhat small to pull of such a large project. But members have been unfailingly faithful to the Valley Food Bank over the years, collecting large amounts of food every Thanksgiving and Christmas. “It helps people feel like they belong to something bigger than themselves,” said Scott.

Sometimes the world’s problems seem so large that people despair of being able to make a difference, Crowe said. But if they can help weed or harvest produce, then they can help someone. “If you can contribute something, it helps your heart and soul,” she said.

All seeds and plants for the garden have been donated. About eight volunteers work in the garden regularly, but others have been known to just drop in and start yanking weeds. So far the church hasn’t had a problem with people walking by helping themselves to the produce. “If they are needing food that much, God bless them,” Crowe said.

Spokane Valley Partners food bank director Barbara Bennett said her organization relies entirely on donations for fresh fruits and vegetables. “We’re getting more produce from Second Harvest, but it’s generally a large quantity of one thing,” she said. “The locally grown fruits and vegetables are amazing in quality and I would never have too many of them. People out here in the Valley traditionally have gardens. They have a garden and they grow a little extra for us.”

The food bank will face an increased need this summer. The number of clients has risen after St. Vincent de Paul closed, with Spokane Valley Partners now serving 22 percent of the county’s residents. On Wednesday there were 86 families waiting when the food bank opened its doors.

“If you go to the grocery store, one of the expensive aisles is the produce,” Bennett said. “That’s some of the healthiest food to eat. I don’t know where the end is.”

Bennett was overjoyed to learn of the church’s expanded garden. “They’ve been such faithful donators,” she said. “We appreciate it.”