At Community Food Bank, we don’t just break the norm, we blow it up. Nationwide, food banks share a mix of groceries that’s 80 percent shelf stable and 20 percent fresh. Shelf stable means things like canned goods, dried pasta and dried beans. Here at the center of the fresh produce universe, our market basket is 80 percent fresh almost every week of the year. It’s only through the generosity of our partner producers that Community Food Bank can meet the challenge of providing our customers with the freshest, healthiest food available. Why not drop by for a look yourself?
You’ll find that most of what we are able to share is organic, and all of it is food that any of us would be happy feed our own families.
ProducePedia is a free resource that covers the types of fresh produce that can be delivered to food pantries. Each entry includes information on color, taste, and possible uses. People unfamiliar with the vegetable or fruit will learn how to use it, and those who are familiar with it still might learn a fun fact or two!
The Cooperative Extension sites have a wealth of information for any backyard gardener. Once you go to the site (each one if very different from the others) look for a link for “homes and gardens”, “landscape”, “consumer horticulture”, etc. to find information on improving your backyard garden. Neighboring state sites may offer information your own state’s site lacks.
