Plant a Row for the Hungry Nets More than 80,000 Pounds of Food Donations
Contact: Barbara Murphy, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, (800) 287-1482
The tallies are in, and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension has collected 80,748 pounds of produce, 70 dozen ears of corn and 60 loaves of bread as part of its Plant a Row for the Hungry outreach project.
Home gardeners, Master Gardeners and others with a green thumb participate in the program, which provides fresh fruits and vegetables to needy individuals and families in Maine.
“Despite the less than ideal growing season, Maine gardeners and farmers have once again given generously of their time and harvest to make a huge difference in combating hunger in Maine,” says Barbara Murphy, an Extension educator in Oxford County.
The local effort is part of a national program sponsored by the Garden Writers Association.
A breakdown of donations by county follows:
2009 Totals
Penobscot: 14,947 pounds, 5 dozen ears of corn
Androscoggin/Sagadahoc: 3,750 pounds
Franklin –3,200 pounds
Kennebec — 530 pounds
Piscataquis — 600 pounds
Somerset — 664 pounds
Knox/Lincoln/Waldo — 7,509 pounds
Cumberland –9,519 pounds
Washington — 1,700 pounds
Oxford — 4,610 pounds; 65 dozen ears of corn, 60 loaves of bread
York — 32,208 pounds
Hancock — 1,511 pounds
Grand Total: 80,748 pounds, 70 dozen corn, 60 loaves of bread