Share Local Produce With Families In Need

Whether you’re growing vegetables in your backyard or shopping at the weekly Montclair Farmers Market, United Way of Northern New Jersey is making it easy for area residents to donate fresh, locally-grown bounty in support of families in need.  

United Way Pantry Partners has renewed a successful partnership with the Montclair Farmers’ Market to have farmers share unsold local produce with area soup kitchens and food pantries at the close of market day. In addition, bins are available by the market manager’s table for customers to join the effort by purchasing and donating fresh market produce. 

In the first eight weeks alone, four farmers and customers have donated nearly 1,000 pounds of vegetables to The Salvation Army, Toni’s Kitchen, and First Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Montclair Pantry. Volunteers from the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Montclair are handling the heavy-lifting of picking up and transporting the donations to the emergency feeding sites.  

“The best thing about this volunteer opportunity is that one person can make a big difference in such a short amount of time,” said Elizabeth LaBlanc, a volunteer with the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Montclair. “Imagine adding over a hundred pounds of fresh produce to the menu in just about an hour.”

United Way is committed to improving access to healthy foods for low- and moderate-income families in North Essex communities, resulting in healthier communities. Despite the area’s affluence, United Way research reveals that approximately 20 percent of residents in the 11 North Essex communities do not earn enough to be self-sufficient. Healthy, fresh foods typically are out-of-reach for these families struggling to afford basic needs. 

“It is challenging for food pantries and soup kitchens to provide locally grown fruits and vegetables,” said Eileen Sweeny, United Way Pantry Partners coordinator. “The higher cost of fresh produce means that struggling families omit these items from their shopping carts, instead relying on lower cost processed and fast-foods as the mainstay of their diets – putting them at risk of obesity and chronic disease.” 

As a result, United Way Pantry Partners is asking local residents to share any overflow of their homegrown harvests this summer with area pantries and soup kitchens. Area residents can donate their homegrown produce to the following sites in Montclair and Glen Ridge on the days and times specified: 

• First Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Montclair Pantry & Soup Kitchen, 15 Elmwood Avenue, Sundays 10 a.m. to noon, in the church basement
• Human Needs Food Pantry, 9 Label Street, Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. 
• The Salvation Army, 13 Trinity Place, Monday through Wednesday, 9 a.m. to noon (use side entrance adjacent to parking lot)
• Toni’s Kitchen, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 73 South Fullerton Avenue, Thursday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sundays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• A Lot to Grow Community Garden at Montclair Inn, 27 Hillside Avenue, Mondays and Wednesdays, 9 to11a.m. (For distribution at emergency feeding sites.)
• A Lot to Grow Community Garden on Benson Street, Glen Ridge, Mondays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. (For distribution at emergency feeding sites.)