2022 Press Releases for Season 7 Launch
by Karen Fitzpatrick in Uncategorized
Saucon Source
The Morning Call
Plant A Row returns: Use your garden excess to help others
The Morning Call
With the growing season in full swing in the Lehigh Valley, it’s also time for another gardening cause to get underway.
Plant a Row — a program where home gardeners can donate some of their bounty to others — is underway. It’s the seventh season for the program.
Here’s how it works: Local gardeners can donate what they grow to benefit local food banks. They can either designate a row of their garden for donations or simply donate overflow. Even if you don’t have a garden, you can still help the program by donating what you buy from the supermarket, get from your CSA or at the farmers market and dropping it off at one of the Plant a Row collection sites. Volunteers pick up and transport the donations received to area food pantries, meal centers, soup kitchens and shelters.
This year the program has 326 registered gardens, 21 drop-off locations and 25 recipient organizations.
What you can’t eat or use will help others in the Valley. Feeding America defines food insecurity as “a lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life. This can be a temporary situation for a household or can last a long time. Lehigh County has an overall food-insecurity rate of 10%; Northampton County’s is 8.6%.
Plant a Row — a program where home gardeners can donate some of their bounty to others — will get underway on June 12. It’s the seventh season for the program. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call )
Donation sites and hours
Lehigh County
Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank – operates year-round, 417 N, 14th St., Allentown, PA 18102, (610) 821-1332. Call when you arrive and someone will come out to assist you. Benefits: Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank; 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday; 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday.
Allentown Rescue Mission – operates year-round, 355 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA 18101; Donations are accepted at any time. Park in front of the mission. There is a sign with the phone number to call to drop off donations. Someone will come out to take your donations. Benefits: Allentown Rescue Mission
Betty Lou’s Pantry – operates year-round; 333 Oxford St., Coopersburg, PA 18036; Benefits: Betty Lou’s Pantry; 8 to 8:30 second and fourth Saturdays
Emmaus Community Garden, Robert Rodale Way, Emmaus, PA 18049; Benefits: Bethel Bible Fellowship Church Food Bank, Casa Guadalupe in Allentown and Zionsville Lutheran Church Food Bank; after 6:30 p.m, Sunday until 10 a.m. Monday.
Emmaus Public Library, 11 E. Main St., Emmaus, PA 18049; Benefits: Bethel Bible Fellowship Church Food Bank, Casa Guadalupe in Allentown and Zionsville Lutheran Church Food Bank; after 6:30 p.m, Sunday until 10 a.m. Monday.
Jordan Lutheran Church (new location), 5103 Snowdrift Road, Orefield, PA 18069; Note: Cooler is on the sidewalk underneath the awning at the double doors entrance on Snowdrift Road; Benefits: Jordan Lutheran Food Pantry; Sundays prior to the first and third Mondays.
Lehigh County Community Garden – Cedarbrook – backup driver needed; Cedarbrook Road, South Whitehall, PA 18104; Note: Cedarbrook Road is off of Dorney Park Road. Enter the Cedarbrook Complex, stay to the right. The gardens are behind the Maintenance Building. Benefits: Everlasting Life Ministries Food Pantry, Allentown; before 5 p.m. Thursdays
Lehigh Community Garden – Jordan Creek Parkway – backup driver needed; Lehnert Road, Whitehall, PA 18052; Note: Scherersville Road becomes Lehnert Road; Benefits: Everlasting Life Ministries Food Pantry, Allentown; before 5 p.m. Thursdays
Lehigh Valley Home & Garden Center, 4220 Crackersport Road, Allentown, PA 18104; Benefits: Sixth Street Shelter, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays
New Tripoli, 7724 Carpet Road, New Tripoli, PA 18066; Note: Place donations in the red truck at the end of the driveway. Benefits: Lowhill Food Pantry at Christ’s Church and St. Peter’s United Methodist Church; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays
St. Ann’s Knights of Columbus Garden of Mercy – backup driver needed; Church of St. Ann, 415 S. 6th St., Emmaus, PA 18049; Benefits: New Bethany Ministries, Greater Shiloh Church Food Pantry (Bethlehem Campus), and Whitehall Food Pantry at St. Stephen’s Church; 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays
St. John’s Lutheran Church, 1028 Church St., Fogelsville, PA 18051; Benefits: St. Paul’s United Church of Christ Food Pantry, Trexlertown; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays
Southern Lehigh Public Library, 3200 Preston Lane, Center Valley, 18034; Benefits: Allentown Rescue Mission; 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays
Willow Lane Elementary School, 6135 Sauerkraut Lane, Macungie, PA 18062; Benefits: Sixth Street Shelter; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays
Northampton County
Bethlehem Area Public Library – Coolidge Branch (new location) – backup driver needed; 2740 Fifth St., Bethlehem, PA 18020; Note: Cooler is on the front porch Benefits: Cay Galgon Life Center, Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley and the Nehemiah Wall; 11 a,m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays
Bethlehem Area Public Library – Main – backup driver needed, 11 W. Church St., Bethlehem, PA 18018; Benefits: Cay Galgon Life Center, Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley and the Nehemiah Wall; Note: Cooler is inside the library across from the circulation desk, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays
Diefenderfer Community Garden – backup driver needed; 6300 Hanoverville Road, Bethlehem, PA 18017; Benefits: Allentown Rescue Mission; before 1 p.m. Wednesdays
Hanover Township Community Center (new location)– backup driver needed; 3660 Jacksonville Road, Bethlehem, PA 18017; Benefits: Allentown Rescue Mission; Note: Cooler is on the bench inside front entrance; from 3 p.m. Tuesday unitl 1 p.m. Wednesday
Louise W. Moore Park (pick-up day has changed)– backup driver needed; Louise Moore Park, Easton, PA 18045; Benefits: Safe Harbor and Greater Shiloh Church (Easton Campus); before 10 a.m. Fridays
New Bethany Ministries – Food Pantry – operates year-round; 380 Shawnee St., Bethlehem, PA 18015; Note: Shawnee is one way; enter by turning into the CVS parking lot from Broadway, turn left onto Shawnee (the alley behind CVS). In one block Shawnee bends to the left, park here, on the right. Signs will say “Cathedral parking.” You will not be towed. Staff will be at the food pantry (blue building) to help you unload. Benefits: New Bethany Ministries; 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Pot This, LLC (new location); 1124 Center St., Bethlehem, PA 18018; Note: Place donations in cooler on front porch. Benefits: Cay Galgon Life Center, Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley and the Nehemiah Wall; 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday.
St. Luke’s Anderson Community Garden, 1872 St Luke’s Boulevard, Easton, PA 18045; Note: The community garden is behind the hospital complex. Benefits: Safe Harbor and Greater Shiloh Church (Easton Campus); before 10 a.m. Thursdays
Trinity Lutheran Church, 323 Nazareth Pike, Bethlehem, PA 18020; Note: Bin is by the benches near the parking lot door. Benefits: Nazareth Area Food Bank; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays
Non-drop off locations
These are sites that are contributing to the program but are not places that will accept donations:
Lehigh University Community Garden – backup driver needed; Goodman Campus; Benefits: Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley;
The Lutheran Home at Topton; Benefits: St. Paul’s United Church of Christ Food Pantry, Trexlertown;
Willow Haven Farm – shared driver/backup driver needed, New Tripoli; Benefits: Grace Lutheran Church Food Cupboard, Macungie and The Bread Ministry of Emmaus.
Register your garden, volunteer and more
The program is especially in need of volunteer drivers. Email: info@plantarowlv.org if you are interested.
To register your garden for Plant a Row: https://plantarowlv.org/
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