We at Feeding Chittenden believe that everyone should have access to nourishing food, including fresh produce. We are grateful that our work is centered in the great community of Chittenden County where we have farms and gardens growing nutrient rich produce all around us. As we receive a lot of this wonderful donations throughout the growing season, we wanted to share a few tips that will help us to share the summer bounty in a way that is dignified and welcoming…
— Please be mindful of the status of the flower, herb, fruit, or vegetable that your are donating. If it is under or over ripe chances are people will not want to take or eat it! This is especially important for our summer squashes like zucchini. While oversized zukes can be useful for zucchini bread, there comes a point when we get too many that are too big!

If you have access to a water source either at your home or at your garden, please rinse off any access soil before donating. This is extra important for any of your root veggies, onions, or even the root ball of say a lettuce head. We do not currently have the means to rinse off soil on site before sending it out our doors so any extra care is greatly appreciated.

Whether it’s bagging up loose leaf lettuce or using an elastic band to bunch up a bouquet of kale, packaging is always helpful! It allows us to distribute produce to more of our recipients in a fair and dignified manner. Please do not use garbage bags! They are too large for us to manage and more importantly, have perfumes and chemicals that we do not want mixing with your fresh, organic produce.

Most importantly, thank you for thinking of your community during the growing season.💚
Not everyone has access to fresh veggies or a place to grow them so your support goes a long way in keeping people well nourished!