MANNA MINISTRIES, LELAND, N.C., JOINS NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN TO LINK LOCAL GARDENS WITH FOOD PANTRIES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Of interest to editors and journalists covering: Hunger in America, Gardening, Sustainable Communities, Food Issues and Global Warming

MANNA MINISTRIES, LELAND, N.C., JOINS NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN TO LINK LOCAL GARDENS WITH FOOD PANTRIES

Excess produce usually left to rot in gardens now being donated to neighborhood food pantries

Leland, N.C. – October 27, 2009
Manna Ministry is pleased to announce that it has joined the AmpleHarvest.org campaign - a nationwide effort to enable neighborhood food pantries to be easily located by local backyard gardeners wishing to share their excess garden bounty with neighbors in need.

Local food pantries usually receive their supplies from regional food banks, government programs and neighborhood donations. They generally do not include fresh produce because of distribution and storage issues leaving food pantry clients with access only to canned vegetables and fruit.

With one out of eight American families now relying on pantries to help feed them, the pantries often have a hard time meeting the demand.

At the same time, millions of backyard gardeners across America frequently find that their vegetable and fruit gardens provide far more produce than they can possibly use or share with friends. The remainder is often either left to rot in the garden or put into the trash, which produces methane as it decomposes - a global warming gas.

Gardeners who want to share part of their harvest are often unable to find local pantries because they typically don’t have yellow page listings or an Internet presence.

To address this, the AmpleHarvest.org web site enables food pantries to register their name, phone, address, an optional photograph of the pantry to make it easier to find, and day[s] of the week and time of the day they’ll accept the gardeners produce.

Now that Manna Ministry is a part of the AmpleHarvest.org campaign, area backyard gardeners will be able to easily find the pantry using the personalized driving instructions available on the site.

According to AmpleHarvest.org founder, Gary Oppenheimer, “Two years ago, my own garden grew more produce than we could possibly use, and I quickly found that there are only so many cucumbers you can give to friends and still have them call you a friend. Our community garden also left a lot of produce to rot on the vines. When I searched on the Internet for pantries, the nearest one listed was 25 miles away even though my own town has five. That was when it became clear that AmpleHarvest.org was desperately needed”.

Manna Ministry welcomes fresh produce donations for its clients. Additionally, information will be posted from time to time by the pantry on the site, listing those store bought items that are in short supply at the pantry – this to enable anyone wishing to help their neighbors in need.

About Manna Ministry

Manna Ministry is a collaboration of Leland area churches, businesses, organizations and individuals, seeing to the needs of the community. The food pantry exists, through collections and distributions organized by volunteers from the entire community. The churches involved: Closer Walk United Methodist, Johnson's Chapel AME Zion, Leland Church of God, First Baptist of Leland, Crosswinds and Victory Free Will Baptist. Other supporters include Brunswick Family Assistance, Reigelwood Federal Credit Union, North Brunswick Communities for Action, Magnolia Greens Social Committee, North Brunswick Lions Club, North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce and many, many others. Updated news can be found at http://vfwbc.org/FoodDrive.dsp

About AmpleHarvest.org

AmpleHarvest.org (www.AmpleHarvest.org) is an outgrowth of the Ample Harvest program at the West Milford Community Garden, operated by Sustainable West Milford, a 501(c )(3) sustainability organization.

Media Contact:
Pastor Jay Merritt
Pastor@vfwbc.org
Phone: 910-371-6424
http://vfwbc.org/FoodDrive.dsp

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