Boston Natural Areas Network Gardeners are Planting Rows for Haiti
Under the guidance of Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN) and its Boston Gardeners Council, community gardeners throughout the city are growing, harvesting and bringing produce to two Mattapan food pantries to support the Haitian community in Boston. Fresh food will be delivered to the Haitian American Public Health Initiative and to the Voice of the Gospel Tabernacle Church from mid July through October 15.
Since the disaster, many Haitian residents of Boston have either been sending money back to Haiti or feeding additional family members who have left Haiti and are now living with them. For some, the decision has become a difficult choice between buying fresh food for their family in Boston or sending additional funds to their family in Haiti. To help, the Plant a Row for Haiti program has already, in the first two weeks of the program, delivered 800 pounds of free fresh produce to local pantries providing a great benefit to Boston's Haitian community and resulting in savings they can pass on to family back in their homeland.
With Plant a Row for Haiti the Boston Gardeners Council has expanded last year's successful "Produce to Pantry" pilot initiative which delivered hundreds of pounds of fresh garden produce to a variety of Boston Food Pantries. This year community gardeners have set aside special rows to plant vegetables suited for Haitian cooking and diets. The produce is delivered to BNAN's City Natives Nursery where it is readied for delivery to the food pantries. BNAN is also working with its affiliate, The Trustees of Reservations, to arrange delivery of fresh produce from The Trustees' Powisset Farm in Dover and Appleton Farms in Ipswich to the local pantries. The Brookwood Farm CSA in Milton has also been an active produce partner and contributor.
To learn more, donate produce, or help with the preparation and delivery, contact Karen Chaffee at BNAN at 617-542-7696 ext 19 or by email at karen@bostonnatural.org
Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN) is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together local residents, partner organizations, public officials and foundations to preserve, expand, and enhance urban open space, including community gardens, greenways, and urban wilds. BNAN also is an affiliate with The Trustees of Reservations, a statewide land trust and non profit conservation organization with over 100 properties located around the state for public use and enjoyment. For more information visit www.bostonnatural.org
Carol Stocker has been writing about gardening for the Boston Globe for 30 years. She has won the top newspaper writing award of the Garden Writer's Association of American three times. Her newest book is "The Boston Globe Illustrated New England Gardening Almanac."
