Share the Harvest: Roots and Rays

Is your garden located near a food pantry or soup kitchen? If so, donating extra produce might be an option for you. Roots and Rays Garden, located in the Pilsen neighborhood, is right across the street from St. Pius V Parish, which has both a food pantry and soup kitchen. One of the gardeners is a member of the church, so it was a perfect match for the garden.

Produce is harvested from the garden’s community beds, and gardeners also glean from the allotment beds. Donations include assorted vegetables, leafy greens, herbs, and flowers. Garden leader Patricia Bon helps organize the collection of produce and believes that “food comes from the earth so it belongs to everyone. The gardeners don’t want food to go to waste, so if it’s ready to eat, someone should eat it no matter who that person is.”