If you'd like to donate your fresh produce, you are asked to wash it and deliver it to one of four locations within 24 hours: St. Martin de Porres Center, 2417 Burdette St., Omaha Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 to 11 a.m. Juan Diego Center, 5211 S. 31st St., Omaha Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Dee-Sign Garden Shop, 8530 Blondo St., Omaha Saturday and Sunday, noon to 3 p.m. Northwest by Dee-Sign, 5602 Read St., Omaha Saturday and Sunday, noon to 3 p.m.
Planting an extra row can benefit local food pantries By LISA MAXSON Catholic Voice
Now is the time people plant their gardens, and Catholic Charities of Omaha hopes that while gardening, people will remember the hungry.
Catholic Charities' food pantries at Juan Diego Center in South Omaha and St. Martin de Porres in North Omaha are trying their best to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to their clients.
But that's not always possible, especially during the winter and fall months.
That's why Catholic Charities officials are taking advantage of the warm weather and turning to gardeners for help.
As part of the national campaign "Plant a Row for the Hungry," Catholic Charities asks gardeners to plant an extra row of fruits or vegetables or an extra tomato, squash or pepper plant in their garden and donate everything it produces to one of the food pantries.
"Or if you have excess harvest at the end of the summer, that would work, too," said Heather Akerberg, accounts payable specialist for Catholic Charities of Omaha.
In 1995, the Garden Writers Association founded the "Plant a Row for the Hungry" campaign, and since then has delivered almost 8 million pounds of fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs to food banks and soup kitchens in the United States and Canada.
"If we're going to empower our clients, we want to make sure we're truly doing that by giving them things that they need, to make sure they have a healthy, balanced diet," said Marilyn Sims, program director at St. Martin de Porres Center and Christ Child North.
