Every Monday from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at St. Matthews Lutheran Church, the Free Grocery Store distributes gleaned and donated produce boxes to hundreds of families in over 100 cars, most of whom are Renton residents. Since beginning operations in 2020, we have successfully handed out over 1,000,000 pounds of food. We collect food from a number of area grocery stores, food pantries, local gardens, and government programs. Most of the food we collect is food that would have been wasted due to grocery stores over buying or miscalculating supply and demand. We want to promote the distribution of local produce to our community members in need and are thrilled with receiving fresh food from your garden(s)!
Yes! Please, please email/call and we can set up an arranged meeting time. We always appreciate a heads up for deliveries as we are a completely volunteer driven organization.
Please email us or call to arrange a time during the week to drop off food in the front church parking lot. We may be able to pick it up depending on availability of our volunteers.
ProducePedia
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.
