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AmpleHarvest.org to appear on PBS's Growing a Greener World
Growing a Greener World is a national series on public television that travels the country telling the stories of people, places and organizations doing good things for the planet with an emphasis on organic gardening, fresh local food, healthy living and sustainable choices. The series is hosted and produced by award winning green-gardening expert, Joe Lamp'l along with celebrity chef, Nathan Lyon.
Episode 220: Gardening for the Hungry; Easy ways to Share the Bounty
Description: Planting a row for the hungry or sharing the bounty is more than a great idea; it’s a movement. This episode features the inspirational story and idea of Gary Oppenheimer, founder of the AmpleHarvest.org site and system to facilitate the delivery and distribution of fresh, local produce by neighbors, to neighbors in need anywhere in the country.
When: Begins airing around the country on November 12. Check your local listings or check the station finder on the Growing a Greener World website for details. The episode can also be viewed online on their website beginning November 13.
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"..and instead of one harvest, a continued one throughout the year." - Thomas Jefferson |
One out of six Americans needs food assistance, but can't get fresh produce from the local food pantry, while millions of American homeowners grow more food in their backyard gardens than they can possibly use.
It Doesn't Have to Be This Way!
AmpleHarvest.org envisions an America where millions of gardeners eliminate malnutrition and hunger in their own community using only their backyard gardens.
Please help us continue our efforts to connect gardeners with food pantries to help fight hunger across America. Hungry people need healthy fresh produce and we need your support to help them.
Donations in any amount are greatly appreciated and support the ongoing work and outreach of the AmpleHarvest.org Campaign. We are a 501(c)3 Charitable Organization and your donation is tax deductible.
Does your company offer corporate match donations? If you're unsure, please check with your HR/Benefits department. If hardcopy paperwork is required, please submit forms to donations@AmpleHarvest.org. We will confirm your donation and return the paperwork to your company promptly!
If your company would like to offer us the opportunity to join the list of companies it supports, we'd love to hear from you.
We are sincerely grateful for your support.
A letter of gratitude to one of the almost 4,600 pantries registered with AmpleHarvest.org, from one of its littlest beneficiaries.
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Help a Hungry Family in Your Community this Thanksgiving!
Instead of flowers on your Thanksgiving table this year, create an arrangement using whole fruits and vegetables that you can share with hungry neighbors after the holiday. Have your produce spill out of a cornucopia, fill baskets or vases, or simply arrange it in the center of the table with leaves and candles scattered throughout. You'd be amazed at the gorgeous centerpieces you can create!
Then visit the find a pantry page on the AmpleHarvest.org website to locate food pantries in your neighborhood and call to find one that can accept your donation on Friday or over the weekend. After this beautiful fresh produce graces your table on Thursday, bag it up, perhaps with Thanksgiving wishes tucked inside, and deliver your donation of wholesome healthy food to a grateful pantry so that others can enjoy a wonderful feast too. (Note.. please only donate the whole fruits and vegetables from your arrangement as most pantries cannot accept any cooked or left over food.)
Be sure to take a moment during your holiday dinner to share this story with the friends and family sharing the meal with you. Perhaps they will be inspired to support AmpleHarvest.org and their local food pantries in the future. Here's a handy sheet you can download to print, cut and share.
Like this idea? Please pass it on to your network of friends and family nationwide. Imagine the gratitude of hungry people all across America for the gift of fresh produce. This simple gift brings real meaning to the Thanksgiving holiday.
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Your Organization Can Support AmpleHarvest.org with a Virtual Food Drive!
Is your organization interested in doing a Virtual Food Drive as an end of the year charity function? As the holiday season approaches and Thanksgiving is right around the corner, now is the perfect time to create a campaign to support the work of AmpleHarvest.org.
Who can hold a Virtual Food Drive?
Companies, Organizations, Associations, Clubs, Bloggers, Facebookers, Children's Groups & Teams, Individuals and Everyone in Between!
Why hold a Virtual Food Drive rather than a traditional food drive?
Your donation will help to connect backyard gardeners with food pantries eager to receive their excess produce to pass on to the hungry people they serve. Your dollars will go so much further than a one-time donation of groceries to your local food pantry. How? While such donations are gratefully accepted, canned and boxed foods are consumed and feed families for a few meals, but then they are gone and the cupboards are once again bare. A donation to the AmpleHarvest.org Campaign is a long lasting gift that has no end. Once gardeners find out that they can donate their excess produce to their local food pantries, and food pantries find out they can register for free to receive that produce, ongoing relationships are created. Hungry people can then look forward to receiving the gift of fresh wholesome produce, freshly picked by their neighbors, on a long-term regular basis!
The value of your donation is so much more than the face value of the dollars you contribute. In addition to a much greater amount of food provided for those dollars, you are also improving the health of hungry people who depend upon donated food for sustenance. The food found on pantry shelves can often contain unhealthy preservatives and additives such as sugar and salt. In addition, it is often trucked across the country which is an unsustainable way to feed our nation. Fresh fruits and vegetables are brimming with vitamins and minerals, essential to health for people who may otherwise be reliant primarily on the inexpensive processed food often found at food pantries. Freshly picked produce retains these healthy elements and has a lot more flavor, so it can truly be enjoyed!
Why should we select AmpleHarvest.org as the charity we support?
More than 50 million Americans (including 1 out of 4 four children under 6 years old) are hungry or are at risk of being hungry. It does not have to be that way and you can help by contributing and raising funds for AmpleHarvest.org through an easily created Virtual Food Drive. There are approximately 41 million gardeners across America with home gardens, often growing more than they can use, preserve or give to friends. The AmpleHarvest.org Campaign enables these growers to do something they could never do before; Share their excess harvest with a local food pantry.
Rather than donating a bag of groceries to your neighborhood food pantry, you can make a monetary donation to help fund the work of the AmpleHarvest.org Campaign. Your donation will lead to a wide variety of fresh garden produce being delivered to food pantries on an ongoing basis, making a substantial contribution to the fight against hunger across America.
How do we get started?
Simply send an email to info@AmpleHarvest.org including your organization name, if applicable, and a graphic or two, along with a few bullet points we can use to customize the page. For instance, if you have information specific to how your company, group or industry can help fight hunger in addition to your monetary fundraising efforts, we would love to include that. (Visit www.AmpleHarvest.org/DHL to see an example Virtual Food Drive page.)
After we create your fundraising page and send you the link, get the word out using email, your website, your blog, facebook, twitter and other social networking tools you utilize. You can also post fliers around your community. We'll even help with a free targeted Google ad campaign to help raise awareness of your efforts to fight hunger and malnutrition.
Tell me more!
Click here to download a PDF with more information and links to share!
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On Saturday, January 21, 2012, TEDxManhattan "Changing the Way We Eat" will be held at the Times Center in New York City. AmpleHarvest.org founder Gary Oppenheimer will be one of the speakers at this one-day TEDx event, which will explore the food system; from the Issues, to the Impacts to Innovation as we shift to a more sustainable way of eating and farming. The goal of "Changing the Way We Eat" is to create new synergies, connections and collaborations across disciplines, to unite different areas of the food movement and to introduce the TEDx audience to the exciting and innovative work being done in this field. The Glynwood Institute for Sustainable Food and Farming is the lead sponsor for TEDxManhattan.
The TEDxManhattan event will be curated and audience members hand selected so that attendees are a balanced mix of academics, researchers, health professionals, farmers, foodies, chefs, advocates, foundations, public figures and TEDsters, ensuring a diverse audience that can facilitate new ideas and synergies with each other. To learn how to attend "Changing the Way We Eat," please visit the TEDx website.
For more information about the event and to learn about hosting a viewing party, visit the TEDx page on AmpleHarvest.org. |
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