According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one in ten households in the United States experiences hunger or the risk of hunger. Approximately 25 million people, including 9.9 million children, have substandard diets or must resort to seeking emergency food because they cannot always afford the food they need. In the past year, the demand for hunger assistance has increased by 40%, and research shows that hundreds of hungry children and adults are turned away from food banks each year because of lack of resources.
The purpose of Plant a Row is to create and sustain a grassroots program whereby gardeners donate their surplus garden produce to local food banks, soup kitchens and service organizations to help feed America’s hungry.
Plant a Row’s success hinges on its people-helping-people approach. The concept is simple. There are over 70 million gardeners in the U.S. alone, many of which plant vegetables and harvest more than they can consume. If every gardener plants one extra row of vegetables and donates their surplus to local food banks and soup kitchens, a significant impact can be made on reducing hunger. Food agencies will have access to fresh produce, funds earmarked for produce can be redirected to other needed items and the hungry of America will have more and better food than is presently available..
Pantry Needs On the first Sunday of each month at both of our churches, canned and packaged non-perishable foods are collected and then these offerings are delivered to the local food shelf where they are received with grateful appreciation. Remember our neighbors when you shop and pick up a few extra cans or packages of food
Middlebury United Methodist Church 
