Support for Communities

CRYSTAL CHURCH is pleased to announce that it has joined AmpleHarvest.org - a nationwide

program to enable neighborhood food pantries to be easily located by local backyard gardeners

wishing to share their surplus garden bounty with neighbors in need.

With one out of six 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, fruit, herb and nut 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 contributes to pollution issues.

Gardeners who want to share part of their harvest are often unable to find local pantries. Food

pantries almost never have access to fresh food due to the structure of the American food bank

network leaving food pantry clients with access only to canned vegetables and fruit, often

packaged with sugar or salt – which can contribute to long term health issues.

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 along with day[s]

and time[s] they can accept the gardeners produce. Gardeners and other donors also have the

option of using the AmpleHarvest iPhone and Android apps available as a free downloads.

Now that CRYSTAL CHURCH is a part of AmpleHarvest.org, area backyard and community

gardeners will be able to quickly find the pantry using the personalized driving instructions

available on the site. More than 8,000 (and growing) food pantries participate nationwide.

According to AmpleHarvest.org founder and CNN Hero Gary Oppenheimer, “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. What a waste. That was when it became clear that

AmpleHarvest.org was desperately needed”.

CRYSTAL CHURCH 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 CRYSTAL CHURCH

Pantry PR – 7-23-22

CRYSTAL CHURCH FOOD PANTRY is a community outreach of Crystal Church assisting the

needy in our community with available fresh produce to encourage healthy eating habits while

providing a measure of relief from hunger and food insecurities.

About AmpleHarvest.org Inc.

AmpleHarvest.org ( www.AmpleHarvest.org ) is a nationwide 501(c)3 not-for-profit anti-hunger

effort, backed and supported by Google Inc, the USDA, Bonnie Plants, National Gardening

Association, Feeding America and most of America’s food banks which educates, encourages

and empowers millions of growers across America to share their excess garden produce with a

local food pantry.