Welcome back to the second year of Plattsburgh Plant a Row for the Hungry (PAR)! Not everyone has access to a rich harvest produced by backyard gardeners, community gardeners, and local farmers. The broad mission of Plattsburgh PAR is to provide fresh produce to underserved populations in the local community. We provide the infrastructure and volunteer labor to ensure that your harvest finds its way to those who need it most.
We’ve already identified a number of agency partners who enthusiastically said “yes” to receive produce from of our Plattsburgh PAR campaign. These agencies include: Interfaith Food Shelf, JCEO, Senior Citizen’s Council of Clinton County, Salvation Army Soup Kitchen, St. Peter’s Church Soup Kitchen, and St. Alexander and St. Joseph’s Church Soup Kitchen. The need is great:
- Over 50 million Americans live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger daily.
- Almost 17 million people facing hunger each day are children.
- 14.9 percent (17.9 million) of U.S. households were food insecure at some time in the past year.
- In Plattsburgh, 500 households per month receive emergency food from the Interfaith Food Shelf.
- In Plattsburgh, 50-100 individuals (including families and children) request a meal from a local soup kitchen each week.
Volunteers needed! Would you like to help pick up and transport produce on specific days and times? Would you like to help with cleaning and bagging produce that arrives at our distribution points? We can add you to our list of volunteers for the 2014 growing season as part of our regular volunteer staff, or for “on call” help. To participate in Plattsburgh PAR, contact Beth Dixon: 562-2242 or dixba@verizon.net. Check our website at harvest time for pick-up and drop-off sites, days, and times: www.plattsburghpar.org.