CANADA – Time and money are sometimes in short supply, but gardeners always have too much zucchini! When you give some of your excess produce to a local food bank, soup kitchen, or a neighbour in need, let us know so we can include your contribution in the tally for Sutton’s Summer Bounty Challenge.
The goal is 1,000 pounds of produce by summer’s end. Fruits and vegetables could come from a backyard or community garden, volunteering at a community farm, or a store or fruit stand.
At the best of times, Canadians visit food banks 1.1 million times per month, according to Food Banks Canada. Children represent 34% of food bank clientele, yet they account for only 19% of our population. Since the onset of COVID-19, the situation has worsened. Thousands of Canadians are unemployed or underemployed and food programs at schools and community centres are reduced due to social distancing.
If you have a garden, chances are that you have too many tomatoes, a zillion zucchini and a plethora of potatoes. Contact your local soup kitchen or food bank about how to make a fresh food donation.
Alternatively, many neighbours, especially the elderly, may not be able to afford healthy fruits and vegetables, yet are too proud to visit a food bank. In some cases, they lack transportation. A basket of produce at their doorstep can be a very welcome gift.
Please join in this challenge. Contact our Sutton Spirit writer (lharrison@sutton.com) with your produce donation total and, if you wish, include a photo of you with your bounty. In the autumn, we’ll share the good news.
If you have a large donation, contact Second Harvest (www.secondharvest.ca), which recovers nutritious, unsold food from more than 1,200 donors to redistribute to 1,080 social service organizations in Ontario and B.C. This free service nourishes people through school programs, seniors’ centres, shelters, food banks, etc. In 35 years, it has rescued over 155 million pounds of healthy food, keeping it out of landfills and preventing million of pounds of greenhouse gases from entering our atmosphere.
Sutton is a 100% Canadian-owned and operated company with more than 7,000 REALTORS® in over 200 offices nationwide. To find out more about Sutton, visit www.sutton.com. To learn more about Sutton Spirit, visit www.suttonspirit.com.
Sutton Group Realty Services Ltd. Contact:
Brooke Matthews
604-691-1689
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