In fiscal year 2021, our Louisa County Food Pantry provided 223 food boxes to 249 individuals in 113 households. 102 (41%) of those 249 served with our Food Pantry identified as Hispanic/Latino. Our pantry has seen a large increase of clients in the past six months and we anticipate a further uptick with the ending of pandemic benefits through other avenues such as reduced SNAP assistance. Our Louisa food pantry from November 10, 2021 through May 10, 2022 (6 months) has provided 446 food baskets to 221 households made up of 551 individuals, 36% which identified as Hispanic/Latino.
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.
