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A growing problem: Monastery Community Gardens’ lack of volunteers results in less produce to donate to food pantries

HOLLIDAYSBURG -- Every year at the St. Vincent de Paul Monastery Community Gardens, bright colorful flowers blossom while rows of crops stretch across the field, waiting to be harvested and donated to local food banks. But this season, a lack of volunteers has forced the garden's production of fresh fruits and vegetables to be cut in half.

"We could use a lot more consistent volunteers," said Allen Stevens, volunteer/manager of the group's board. "It would really help us grow a lot more food."

With about five core volunteers, Stevens said they could only maintain one greenhouse this year instead of their usual two. Having fewer hands to manage the crops and property limited the variety of produce grown and prevented a spring harvest this year.

"We tried to grow as much as we could with as few number of people," Stevens said. The group of volunteers are focusing on harvesting crops this year that require less maintenance, including tomatoes, two types of peppers, onions, potatoes, beets and cantaloupe.

Stevens said they want to do more maintenance on the property by putting additional fields into production and preparing them for the next year. With the limited number of people they have, he said it's difficult to achieve these tasks with their attention focused on the current harvest.

To solve this, the group at the gardens is looking to recruit more volunteers.

Volunteer hours are scheduled for Tuesdays and Saturdays from 8 to 11 a.m. With more volunteers, Steven said these hours could be changed or added if needed.

When volunteering at the gardens, workers take on a variety of tasks across the fields, getting "sweaty and dirty." In the fields, volunteers will help with planting and picking crops, weeding, trimming, cutting, digging and delivering food to food banks. All gloves, safety glasses and other equipment needed to work in the gardens are provided for all volunteers.

"You don't have to have a lot of free time or know anything about gardening," said Will Kanich, assistant executive director at SVDP. "Just showing up and helping for a few hours can make a big difference. It's rewarding to know that the work you're doing is helping put fresh food on someone's table in the local community."

Last year, the gardens produced about 7,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables.

But when the harvest is over this year, Sherry Nagle, a volunteer/manager of the group's board, predicts the garden will have produced only about 3,000 to 4,000 pounds of produce.

The purpose of the community gardens is to provide food for those in need by donating produce to local food banks and organizations like the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry, The Nehemiah Project, the Martinsburg food pantry, the Roaring Spring Library and the Sacred Heart Church food pantry. During last year's harvest season, the gardens donated to two charities a week, but now food is donated to one charity a week so they receive a decent-sized donation.

On Tuesday, the volunteers picked 25 pounds of peppers that were delivered and donated to the Roaring Spring Library. Michelle McIntyre, director of the library, said these donations are very valuable to the people they serve.

"It means a lot," she said. "It provides them access to nutritionally, locally grown fruits and vegetables that a lot of the time families that come to the library cannot afford."

The library partners with the Central PA Food Bank to provide hygiene, paper and food products to those who can't afford to purchase the items on their own. McIntyre said area residents should get involved and volunteer because the donations nourish people's bodies and spirits.

Over the last year, the library has served about 16,000 people at the food pantry and has seen an increase in demand for fresh produce as people experience food insecurity from the cost of groceries, McIntyre said.

Along with the crops, volunteers help manage the flower garden, which consists of several different types of flowers that are planted annually. The flower garden started to serve as pollinators for the produce in the nearby greenhouse. When the flowers bloom, volunteers Pam Root-Baechle, Jane Sheffield and Mary Ellen Burke pick them to create flower arrangements for the altar at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. They encourage people to visit the gardens and pick flowers to take home.

Root-Baechle has been volunteering at the gardens for eight years and commits her time to helping in the flower garden once or twice a week to water the flowers and keep up with routine care.

"I love being outside," she said. "It's a beautiful setting and you really meet kind souls here. Good volunteers, people that are committed to the same cause."

With the level of food insecurity in the area, Root-Baechle encourages people to volunteer. She said she feels "fortunate and privileged" to be able to volunteer because she appreciates fresh food and recognizes that not everyone has the resources to get what they need.

Despite the decrease in crops, Stevens said the quality of their produce has been great so far and it appears that they will have a successful harvest. To help keep the produce growing in the future, volunteers are building a compost pit to create nutrient rich soil for next season.

"We're trying to build everything back up so that next year, we're back up to full production," he said.

The future of the gardens is important to the volunteers. Nagle has been volunteering for six years and said it's important to keep the gardens going because "it's just a lifesaver to some people."

Kanich said the gardens are crucial because a lot of people don't realize the number of individuals who struggle to put food on the table in the area. Every little bit helps.

"That's what St. Vincent de Paul is all about. Helping people with dignity and meeting a real need in the community," he said.

For those interested in signing up to volunteer their time at the gardens, contact Kanich at wkanichsvdp@gmail.com.

Mirror Staff Writer Jayla Nartatez is at 814-946-7535