Kiwanis club’s garden a boon for hungry

Olympia, Washington, Olympian
http://www.theolympian.com/109/story/554579.html

Imagine 10 tons of vegetables. Now imagine how appreciative Thurston County Food Bank patrons will be to add those vegetables to their dinner menu. It’s possible because of the incredible work of the Kiwanis Club of Olympia.

Club volunteers are harvesting the first of 20,000 pounds of fresh vegetables to be transported to the food bank and distributed right away to needy families. About 70 percent of the vegetables distributed by Food Bank volunteers come from the Kiwanis club’s garden project. Among recent donations were 322 pounds of cabbage and 202 pounds of beets.

The garden is on five acres in west Olympia. Cold-weather crops are started in the greenhouse, and in the spring, the growing season begins in earnest. Estimated costs of vegetables grown and delivered to the food bank is between 30 and 40 cents per pound.

Money to operate the garden comes from Kiwanis fundraising events, grants, and donations. Excess vegetables are distributed to the Rochester Organization of Families and Mason County food banks.

Over the years, Kiwanis also has given vegetables to The Salvation Army, Union Gospel Mission, Bread & Roses, and other community-based organizations that serve meals.