Food Insecurity! Yes, there is food insecurity right in our backyard. In Henrico County there are 25,560 people (children and adults) who face food insecurity every day. That’s 8.1% of the county population. Are you shocked by these numbers, if so, get involved with the All Saints Pantry Garden (ASPG)! At All Saints we have started the Pantry Garden to make a small contribution to alleviate food insecure.
Welbourne Community Food Pantry is the sole beneficiary of ASPG produce. Welbourne serves an average of about 180-190 guests each week. That number has increased from an average of about 135 guests per week in recent months. There has been an increase in the Portuguese speaking population but also many, many different people visit the pantry regularly. Many of the guests are working members of our neighborhoods. Guests include an equal number of young adults, single and married people, families, and elderly.
ASPG currently has 14 beds, 11 planted and producing fresh vegetables. We are growing green and yellow beans, onions, green and red peppers, hot peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelon, a variety of herbs, yellow squash, and zucchini. Our goal for the 2022 season is to donate 500 pounds of food to Welbourne Community Food Pantry. To meet this goal, we need help.
We are blessed to have parishioner Gretchen Jones heading up our garden ministry. She has extensive knowledge on gardening and helps keep everything organized and green! Please read on for a note and request from Gretchen:
I visit the garden every Wednesday at 4:00pm and work as needed. I am happy to introduce you to the garden any Wednesday. I would love for you to adopt a garden bed. That means, you would plant, weed, fertilize, and harvest the produce from your bed. I am always available for consult. I am currently looking for someone to manage the tomatoes, the squash and take on planting fall crops in the three empty beds. See my contact information below if you are interested in volunteering in the garden.
Please feel free to email me or call me (804) 869-5939) if you need any further information or have any questions.
