Lifestyle

Giving Garden more important than ever

Posted June 19, 2009 11:00 pm

Eileen O. Daday

Matt Verde of Aurora and Ryan Rucker of Lombard, right, help volunteer to stock shelves at the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry in Naperville. The pantry services over 2300 area families. Both are employees of the Capital Grille Restaurant in Lombard. Daniel White | Staff Photographer

Area food pantries have seen numbers of visits soar during the recent economic downturn - some by as much as 80 percent - leaving administrators scrambling to add distribution days and volunteers.

The one thing that helps them get through it, they say, are the donations of the fresh fruits and vegetables, through the Daily Herald's Giving Garden program.

The annual summer-long harvest, when area gardeners bring in surplus fruits and vegetables to their local food pantries, begins this weekend and runs through the end of September.

Last year, gardeners stepped up to donate more than 80,000 pounds of produce.

"The fresh food is so much healthier," says Charles McLimans, executive director of the Loaves & Fishes Community Pantry in Naperville. "Whenever you can offer fresh food, it's preferable."

McLimans and his colleagues who run area food pantries declined to cite specific produce they'd desire, but nutrition experts recommend vegetables like spinach, broccoli and tomatoes for their nutrients as well as antioxidants.

Any leafy greens, however, are nutritious, while crops like carrots and onions that are grown from seed and are easy vegetables to get started with, are also welcome additions.

When McLimans' volunteers get enough donated produce, it allows them to set up a market of sorts for their clients to choose from the major food groups, including proteins and soups, grains and starches, and fruits and vegetables.

"It allows us to provide more healthy offerings," he says.

The Naperville food pantry reports a 60 percent increase - or more than 100 families per month - in demand for their services, over last year. Consequently, they've added a fourth distribution date to accommodate the need.

"The demand is staggering," McLimans says simply.

Thelma Talamantes, general assistance director for Wheeling Township, says both volunteers and the families they help are looking forward to the produce, picked from local gardens.

"It supplements our food pantry tremendously," Talamantes says, "especially in these hard times, when families cannot shop like they were used to when they had jobs.

"Now," she adds, "they can complete a meal."

Wheeling Township's pantry, located in Arlington Heights, has seen a 42 percent increase over the last year, she says.

"Mostly these are new people, that have never been to a food pantry before," Talamantes says. "With people losing their jobs and their homes, we're drawing people who never thought they'd be coming to a food pantry."

Volunteers at Willow Creek Community Church's Care Center in Hoffman Estates, report one of the largest increases, across the suburbs, with 84 percent more guest visits than last year, bringing them up to 3,000 visits per month.

"We're really busy," says Josie Guth, director, simply.

Of those coming to their door, roughly 30 percent are new, she says, with the rest having to come more often because of changes in their economic situation.

Guth draws from an active list of 450 volunteers, just to keep up with the increased demand. They've also stepped up distribution days, offering food twice daily from Monday through Thursday, and on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Having fresh produce to offer just sweetens the mix, Guth says, uplifting everyone involved.

"Our guests love it," she says. "It's so well received in the summer. If we get enough, we like to set it out on a market stand."

All of which points to the need for area gardeners to start planting, and get ready to share their bounty with families less fortunate.

Volunteers stock shelves and deliver food at the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry in Naperville. The pantry services over 2300 area families. Daniel White | Staff Photographer

Volunteer Barb Campbell of Hoffman Estates and member of Willow Creek Church pushes a cart full of food for Kelly Klaisner of Des Plaines who came in to get food for herself and her mom. Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer

Volunteers at the Willow Creek Community Care/Food Pantry pray before their "clients" show up for the shopping carts full of free food donated by many organizations such as Dominicks. Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer

Volunteers at the Willow Creek Community Care/Food Pantry load up shopping carts full of food getting them ready to be moved out to many of their "clients" on Tuesday morning. Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer

Maureen Kirchhoefer of Schaumburg loads up the shopping cart baskets with bread at the Willow Creek Community Care/Food Pantry in Hoffman Estates. Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer

Bob Elazan of Naperville volunteers five days a week stocking shelves at the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry in Naperville. The pantry services over 2300 area families. Daniel White | Staff Photographer

Mary Whitman of Naperville takes her choice of food at the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry in Naperville. The pantry services more than 2,300 area families. Daniel White | Staff Photographer

Produce best suited to donate Here is a list of produce that tends to last the longest, along with nutritional benefits. Remember, all fresh produce is needed, even if it's not on this list: •Apples: antioxidants, fiber, vitamin C. •Beans (lima, green): vitamin A. •Beans (yellow wax): high in folate, magnesium. •Beets: folate, folic acid, fiber, vitamin C, potassium. •Broccoli: high in vitamin C, beta carotene, calcium, antioxidants, fiber, folate. •Brussels sprouts: protein, good source of vitamin C, fiber, folate, potassium. •Cabbage: vitamin C, beta carotene, fiber. •Carrots: excellent source of beta carotene, vitamin A, potassium, fiber. •Cauliflower: high in vitamin C, folate. •Chard: high in vitamin A, sodium, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium. •Corn: fiber, niacin, folate. •Cucumbers: beta carotene. •Eggplant: some fiber, folate, potassium. •Onions: fiber, some vitamin C. •Peas: protein, iron, fiber, vitamin C. •Peppers (red, green): excellent source of vitamins A and C. •Potatoes, sweet potatoes: vitamins B and C, minerals, complex carbohydrates. •Radish: potassium, vitamin C, folate, fiber. •Spinach: high in vitamins A and C, potassium, folate. •Summer squash (zucchini, crookneck): source of vitamin C, manganese, fiber. •Tomatoes: high in vitamins A and C, beta carotene, the antioxidant lycopene and fiber. •Winter squash (acorn, butternut, spaghetti): complex carbohydrates, fiber, potassium, iron, niacin, beta carotene. If you'd like to check out a full analysis of vegetables, go to the University of Illinois Extension Web site at <a href="http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/veggies" target="new">www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/veggies</a>. <div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="http://www.dailyherald.com/lifestyle/homegarden/givinggarden/">Drop off sites</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>

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