AmpleHarvest.orgThe Story - From Fruit to Fruition

Gary OppenheimerAmpleHarvest.org FounderMaster GardenerCommunity Garden DirectorRutgers Environmental Steward

Outline

1.A brief look at Hunger in America2.Sustainable West Milford Community Garden’s Ample Harvest and hunger in West Milford NJ3.The bigger picture – AmpleHarvest.org and hunger in America4.Tour of AmpleHarvest.org5.Questions

Outline

1.A brief look at Hunger in America2.Sustainable West Milford Community Garden’s Ample Harvest and hunger in West Milford NJ3.The bigger picture – AmpleHarvest.org and hunger in America4.Questions

Goals

1.Inform gardeners about AmpleHarvest.org2.Promote both programs to the state government level3.Increase public awareness of AmpleHarvest.org4.Diminish Hunger in America

One out of eight Americans needs food assistance, but can't get fresh produce from the local food pantry.

Millions of American homeowners grow more food in their backyard gardens than they can possibly use.

It Doesn't Have to Be This Way....

The AmpleHarvest.org campaign diminishes hunger in America by enabling backyard gardeners to share their excess garden produce with neighborhood food pantries.

According to the USDA, one in nine households was food insecure in 2007.

That was before the current recession started. It is now one in eight.

According to the USDA, one in nine households was food insecure in 2007.

That was before the current recession started. It is now one in eight.

That is about equal to the population of Pennsylvania

According to the USDA, one in nine households was food insecure in 2007.

That was before the current recession started. It is now one in eight.

That is about equal to the population of Pennsylvania plus New Jersey

According to the USDA, one in nine households was food insecure in 2007.

That was before the current recession started. It is now one in eight.

That is about equal to the population of Pennsylvania plus New Jersey plus New York

According to the USDA, one in nine households was food insecure in 2007.

That was before the current recession started. It is now one in eight.

That is about equal to the population of Pennsylvania plus New Jersey plus New York... combined.

According to the USDA, one in nine households was food insecure in 2007.

That was before the current recession started. It is now one in eight.

That is about equal to the population of Pennsylvania plus New Jersey plus New York... combined.

Approximately 39 million Americans are either hungry, or are at real risk of being hungry. Think of it as your state and the surrounding states too.

Part of the problem is that we waste a lot of food...

...and part of the problem is that gardeners at home and in community gardens often grow far more food than they can use, often leaving the excess to rot in the garden.

...and part of the problem is that gardeners at home and in community gardens often grow far more food than they can use, often leaving the excess to rot in the garden.

This is also part of the solution

A community garden in West Milford (northern New Jersey) formed a committee to distribute its extra produce to local food pantries. They named it the Ample Harvest committee

A community garden in West Milford (northern New Jersey) formed a committee to distribute its extra produce to local food pantries. They named it the Ample Harvest committee

The concept was very simple. The gardener harvests food for themselves and their friends. The rest goes to the needy in the community.

Ample Harvest works like this:

In looking for all of the food pantries in West Milford, Google found the nearest one to be in Morris Plains – 25 miles away.

West Milford actually has six... and there are more in the surrounding communities.

Across America, gardeners who would be looking to share their produce were going to have the same problem as West Milford had.... not knowing where to donate their garden bounty.

The bigger picture......

Food Banks.... Approximately 250Large wholesale operations that receive government and private food donations for redistribution tolocal agencies. Typically they ship out food weekly.

Diminishing Hunger in America

Food Banks.... Approximately 250Food Pantries... Estimated between 30,000 and 40,000 in America

Usually small operations in houses of worship, civic buildings etc. They rarely offer fresh produce.

Diminishing Hunger in America

Food Banks.... Approximately 250Food Pantries... Estimated between 30,000 and 40,000 in America

Usually small operations in houses of worship, civic buildings etc. They rarely offer fresh produce.

Diminishing Hunger in America

Food Banks.... Approximately 250Food Pantries... Estimated between 30,000 and 40,000 in America

Usually small operations in houses of worship, civic buildings etc. They rarely offer fresh produce.

Diminishing Hunger in America

Food Banks.... Approximately 250Food Pantries... Estimated between 30,000 and 40,000 in America

Usually small operations in houses of worship, civic buildings etc. They rarely offer fresh produce.

Diminishing Hunger in America

Food Banks.... Approximately 250Food Pantries... Estimated between 30,000 and 40,000 in America

Usually small operations in houses of worship, civic buildings etc. They rarely offer fresh produce.

Diminishing Hunger in America

Food Banks.... Approximately 250Food Pantries... Estimated between 30,000 and 40,000 in America

Usually small operations in houses of worship, civic buildings etc. They rarely offer fresh produce.

Diminishing Hunger in America

The Challenge.... Many gardeners want to share their garden bounty with the needy

Diminishing Hunger in America

The Challenge.... Many gardeners want to share their garden bounty with the needy

Diminishing Hunger in America

The problems....1. Food banks are regional – not local2. Local food pantries are difficult to find – usually not on the

Internet and not in the yellow pages3. Food banks do infrequent deliveries to local food pantries4. Many food pantries have limited, or no refrigeration

storage

The Challenge.... Many gardeners want to share their garden bounty with the needy

Diminishing Hunger in America

The problems....1. Food banks are regional – not local2. Local food pantries are difficult to find – usually not on the

Internet and not in the yellow pages3. Food banks do infrequent deliveries to local food pantries4. Many food pantries have limited, or no refrigeration

storageThe solution.... A web site that functions as a “Google” enabling millions of American backyard / patio / rooftop / window-sill gardeners to easily find a food pantry eager for their produce

Initial concept

Initial concept Two very talented web designers, Josh Kopf of Wayne NJ and Maureen Shryock of Missouri (a former food pantry client herself) donated their time and talent to build the web site into its final form

Initial concept Evangeline Gomez, Esq of Fahv Choi provided legal assistance

Elaine Barbour of the Passaic County Master Gardeners program provided additional resource direction

Actual design

Most people using AmpleHarvest.org are either gardeners (or other donors) seeking a pantry to donate their produce (or other food) to or food pantry managers registering or updating the information about their food pantry.

If you work for a food pantry, you register on AmpleHarvest.org by entering the pantry information.

You can come back and update/revise the information as often as desired.

The “Additional Information” field allows a pantry to list store bought items they most need.

If you are a gardener looking for a food pantry, simply enter your address, town or zip code.

Then select the number of miles you are willing to drive

A listing of the pantries in that radius is displayed.

You can then click on the pantry you’d like to go to.

The food pantry information is then displayed, along with an optional picture, if the pantry had uploaded it.

You can even get detailed Google driving instructions from your home to the pantry if desired.

AmpleHarvest.org also provides a link to the cooperative extension site for your own state if you want to get Master Gardener information to help improve your gardening skills.

Received backing and support from1.Google Inc2.USDA3.Rotary International4.VFW5.Numerous Faith organizations6.Center for Food Action and the New Jersey Food Bank7..... and many more

Promoting AmpleHarvest.org to food pantries AND gardeners nationally via1.Google AdWords and advertising2.Master Gardener programs nationwide3.Reaching out to faith groups4.Twitter5.Facebook6.Bloggers7.Press releases8.National Gardening Association9.Joint ventures with other *micro* hunger efforts such as FamilytoFamily.org and DinnerGarden.org

Promoting AmpleHarvest.org

People nationwide are encouraged to print thisflier and post it at their local garden shop, nursery or the bulletin board at their school, library, super market, health club, etc.

AmpleHarvest.org Needs Your Help

1.Over 1,000 food pantries have registered in the first 150 days. There are more than 30,000 food pantries in America that have yet to learn about AmpleHarvest.org.2.Millions of gardeners grow more food than they need, and then throw the excess away. It is a resource waste that also contributes to global warming.3.Many food pantry clients would eat healthier food (less salt, less sugar) if they had access to fresh produce – thereby reducing our national long term health costs.4.Many more people might actually start growing food (herbs, vegetables, fruit) if they knew that doing so could help diminish hunger in their community.

AmpleHarvest.org Needs Your Help

You can help:1. Promote AmpleHarvest.org to the state government (local

and country too) to help create awareness.2. Help more food pantries learn about, and then register on

AmpleHarvest.org3. Increase awareness among gardeners both to the

dimension of hunger in the US and to the fact that they can help diminish it – at no cost to themselves

4. Encourage local communities, schools, libraries, businesses, etc. to replace some of their lawns with food gardens that can help provide for the needy and act as an educational tool too.

5. Inform people throughout the US that AmpleHarvest.org provides a way for them to see what store bought items their local food pantry needs.

These are difficult economic times for many people.

The AmpleHarvest.org campaign enables anyone to help their neighbors in need by reaching into their back yards instead of their back pockets.

Thank You.

Questions?

info@AmpleHarvest.org973-409-4093