Local

Harvest for Hope garden feeds over 1,200 pounds of food to the hungry

The Harvest for Hope Garden, 307 Saint Louis Ave., produced and fed over 1,200 pounds of food to the hungry in 2018, according to a news release.

Harvest for Hope is a hunger relief program that maintains a community garden of vegetables, herbs and fruits.

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The volunteer-based program provides free produce to residents of west Dayton, an area that’s been identified as food insecure and has a high poverty rate.

“We have been steadily increasing our yields since the garden opened in 2015 when we raised 600 pounds of produce” said Tom Bensman, a volunteer who leads the garden operations. “Garden produce is picked by individuals for their personal use, and produce is also distributed through food pantries and a weekly community meal program served at Our Lady of Mercy parish by Food for the Journey.”

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Financial support comes from several organizations and companies in the community, grants, donations and volunteers, the release stated.

“Our mission is that we believe every person should be free from hunger, to have life enriched by fresh food and build a strong community by helping one another. There is never a charge to anyone for produce, said founder Michelle Emerson.

To learn more about Harvest for Hope or to volunteer, visit www.harvest4hopedayton.org or call (937) 620-7693.

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