Red Bank UWF Garden Produces for the BPC Pantry

This summer, as it has for the last four summers, the United Women of Faith (UWF) of the United Methodist Church of Red Bank has grown vegetables in plots in nearby Fair Haven. Squash, tomatoes, tomatillos, string beans, cucumbers, eggplant, kale, peppers, and basil are harvested each Monday morning in time for the BPC Food Pantry at the church each Monday night. Zinnias and marigolds keep the pollinators attracted. This project began in 2014 and this year the garden contributed 315 pounds of produce – 10 pounds more than last year.

Cyndi Skove, Master Gardener and member of the UWF, plans out the garden and UWF volunteers plant and take turns checking on the garden and watering as needed. This project fulfills the UWF’s focus on hunger, in addition to its annual monetary contribution to the BPC Pantry. To support the church’s focus on engagement, each week the gardeners post photos of the week’s harvest and ask folks to guess the weight and reminds them of this service done by the UWF. President of UWF, Gerrie Poranski, notes that the UWF foots the bill for the plot and plants. There are about seven volunteers who maintain the garden.

Suzanne Dice, Director of the BPC Food Pantry says, “We are very proud of our produce table in the summer time. We feel that it is the most important offering we have for the neighbors we feed. Produce is very expensive, and the opportunity to have a large variety of fresh produce is wonderful. We are thankful for the Red Bank UWF Garden volunteers and the hard work that they contribute to our produce table each week.”