Top-ten reasons why every food pantry should register at AmpleHarvest.org

It may not be as clever as a David Letterman top-ten list, but here’s my top-ten list as to why every food pantry, food shelf, food cupboard, food closet, food bank and soup kitchen in the United States should be registered on AmpleHarvest.org and how YOU can help!

1. It’s FREE! No strings attached – registering a pantry on AmpleHarvest.org is and will always be, a completely free resource to help communities address hunger!
2. You can personalize your pantry. Food pantries and food banks can log-in at their convenience via our website to update their pantry profile, change a contact name/phone number/ address/email, add a photo, or let their community know of other needs they might have!
3. Fresh food faster! Gardeners and growers bring the produce right to the pantry on the day/time the pantry has identified in their pantry profile. There’s no need to take it to a warehouse where it might sit for a day until it gets to the pantry. Pantries can let gardeners and growers know EXACTLY what day and time to bring in their donation – Eliminating the need for pantries to have refrigeration and storage for fresh produce. The produce gets dropped off and then immediately distributed!
4. Helping those in need have healthier options. We all know that it is common for food pantries to distribute non-perishable items such as canned goods and boxed items for storage reasons. Unfortunately, these products typically have a high-sodium / sugar content and lower nutritional value than fresh fruits and veggies. By registering on AmpleHarvest.org, your pantry clients can feed their family fresh food instead of food packaged with added salt and sugar thereby reducing the likelihood of diet related illness such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.
5. You’ll be offering a new variety of food for pantry clients to prepare. By offering fresh produce, families may be introduced to new varieties of food they may have had no prior access to.
6. There’s strength in numbers.  You’ll be joining an online community of over 6,400 other food pantries already up on our site!
7. Build Community. Registering will make your pantry immediately visible to your community- letting them know you’re ready to accept fresh produce donations!
8. More people may get involved in helping your pantry! There are so many people who’d like to give to local charities but simply don’t have the spare cash – AmpleHarvest.org offers an alternative opportunity for them to make a difference in their local communities by reaching into their backyards instead of their back pockets!
9. It’s good for the environment! As a registered pantry, you’re helping reduce your carbon footprint with locally sourced food (without packaging or cans trucked across the country that need to be disposed of).
10. And did I mention, it is completely FREE! So why not join AmpleHarvest.org and our mission to diminish hunger and malnutrition across America!

Here’s how you can help…

• Is there a pantry in your neighborhood not on our site? Share this flier with them and explain how AmpleHarvest.org can assist them in receiving fresh produce donations. Encourage them to register!
• Make a tax-deductible donation to AmpleHarvest.org securely online here.
• Send an email to your friends asking them to help you spread the word.
• Write letter to the editor – share the idea of AmpleHarvest.org with your community and encourage food pantries to participate and register online.
• Spread the word via social media – tell your friends, tweet, pin or share on Instagram about how AmpleHarvest.org is tackling hunger by asking folks to reach into their backyards instead of their back pockets to help their neighbors in need!
• Simple word of mouth works as well – share our info with others at community events, parties, educational events etc. Let them know that AmpleHarvest.org is a free tool to address hunger in their own communities!

Together, we can eliminate hunger and malnutrition in America by letting food pantries know this resource is available to them and by educating, encouraging, and empowering gardeners and growers to share their abundance with their neighbors in need… Join us in this mission and help us spread the word!