Manistee Community Kitchen's 'plant a row' project begins

For the gardeners among us, it's definitely time to be thinking of seeds and garden plans for the coming spring, even if the ground's still snow-covered and frozen.

There's a community kitchen project in Manistee that's asking area gardeners to take them into consideration when planning their spring planting, by taking the step of planting one extra row of produce to share with hungry neighbors.

The Manistee Community Kitchen's new campaign is called "Plant a Row. Help Fight Hunger." No matter the size of your garden (or farm), they're asking gardeners to add a few more plants, and commit to donating the harvest from them to the community kitchen. The organization feeds low-income families in Manistee County.

"We're looking for backyard gardeners as well as large scale farmers to commit to planting an extra row of produce to share with hungry Manistee County families who currently report inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables," says Brandon Seng, founder and CEO of the Manistee Community Kitchen. "We're asking them to do what they love, only do a little bit more of it."

The kitchen says almost 80 percent of local families report they don't eat enough fruits and vegetables, and produce is one thing often lacking from low-income diets, because of its expense.

To participate, contact the community kitchen or see their website for a commitment form, donation instructions and other resources for the program.

Seng says the strength of the idea is its roots in neighborly tradition. As many people share garden harvests this year, the kitchen wants to make sure the bounty is shared with those who need it most.

"'Plant a Row' isn't a new idea," he says. "Our residents have been sharing garden yields with their families and friends forever. Our initiative simply coordinates the effort to ensure that the hungriest local families gain access to foods growing in Manistee County's soil. We know we have a lot of backyard gardeners and large scale farmers that are willing to help feed hungry Manistee families with healthy Manistee produce."

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Brandon Seng, Manistee Community Kitchen