Unexpected Bounty

It is not everyday that someone pulls up to the house with a pick-up truck full of fresh produce to donate, but that's exactly what happened on Saturday!

A group called Justice Gardens works hard to distribute the bounty of local gardens to folks in need. Our very own gardeners James & Erin K. referred us to them as a delivery site. The group gets donations from vendors at the Clintonville Community Market as well as Panera Bread and makes a point of delivering them to local shelters and free pantries.

We sorted through it and got it ready--there were bushels and bushels of mostly organic zucchini and heads of lettuce. There was also an assortment of cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, kale and swiss chard. Having available refrigerator space made a difference, as Justice Gardens otherwise would have to deliver everything immediately. We added some yellow squash, jalapeños and kohlrabi from our own garden.

We distributed it in two places: We took a load down to Faith Mission. The majority we shared with the Latino community. We set up a table and gave it away after one of the Spanish Masses this weekend.

This gave us a good opportunity to connect with the Latino community. They are hard working, and we usually need to insist before they take gifts of any kind. We shared in a friendly spirit and talked about our ESL classes and the legal clinic. Bev was helpful speaking Spanish (shown in the picture above) and Erin S. distributed flyers and produce. Many have not experienced much hospitality from the non-Latino community, so this was a good chance just to radiate some good feelings.

Fresh, organic produce is always a good thing to share. Some folks live in apartments and don't have access to a garden of their own. We are certainly hoping to involve more members of the Latino community with our garden next year!

That's me peeling a kohlrabi in the bottom picture--many of the Latinos had never tasted that vegetable before. We handed out some slices and some were impressed!

Many thanks to Justice Gardens for bringing an unexpected twist to our weekend--they are a new group, but their ministry is an important one and we'll be looking for ways to work with them in the future. Thanks also to James & Erin K. for the referral!