The Township of Bloomfield Community Garden Committee recently donated 65 pounds of fresh produce to the local food pantry, bringing the total amount for the season to a whopping 540 pounds, officials told RLS Media.
The donation included an immense variety of vegetables including tomatoes, various kinds of squash, peppers, kale, collards, swiss chard, cucumbers, basil, and peppermint.
"In 2021, donations from both gardens to local food pantries was 712 pounds by October.
This year we have exceeded 500 pounds as of August. Our goal is 1000 pounds so we are doing even better," said Third Ward Councilwoman Sarah Cruz. "I am the council liaison to the committee and have a plot myself at Milbank.
Gardening with neighbors is very rewarding because you get produce for your own home and you can also contribute to the community food banks who don't often get fresh fruits and vegetables."
The Bloomfield Community Garden Committee's mission is to prolong an invested interest in maintaining and enhancing Bloomfield's community garden spaces, organizing and promoting various community garden activities and projects, and fostering a community garden spirit that celebrates recreational organic gardening.
The Committee encourages gardening in the township, healthy living, positive eating habits, and environmental stewardship. In addition to conducting garden-related activities and workshops, they also harvest and deliver community garden vegetables to the local food pantry in coordination with the Neighbor to Neighbor Network.
If interested in joining the community garden please email bloomfieldnjgardens@gmail.com. Support for the Community Garden comes from a grant from Partners for Health Foundation to the Neighbor to Neighbor Network.