What do we do?
The Mission of Garden Harvest, Inc. is to alleviate hunger and improve nutrition of the
Nation's most economically disadvantaged citizens. .and to provide related education to people of all ages, all ethnic
backgrounds, and every economic level. To fulfill that mission, we:
-
Grow and deliver free of
charge 100% of our harvest of fresh, organically-grown fruit and vegetables
to the soup kitchens, emergency food pantries, shelters and other not-for-profit organizations that feed and shelter needy citizens;
- Provide high quality protein foods to the emergency food agencies
that feed the hungry; We raise chickens to produce eggs that are
donated to the hungry; we are establishing the infrastructure with which to
increase egg production to 10,000 dozen a year. We will also be establishing the
infrastructure for a USDA Certified Grade A dairy producing goat's milk
for the hungry. The goal is to produce 42,000 lbs. of milk (5000 gallons) a
year.
- Collect, sort, and box produce
from commercial farms and deliver it to the soup kitchens, shelters, and
emergency food pantries that feed needy individuals & families;
While this produce is not organic, it is very fresh and often comprises those
crops not grown by Garden Harvest because of the specialized equipment required when grown in quantity. Examples include potatoes, & green
beans. We also get donations of produce from southern states in winter months,
such things as bananas, pineapples, & sweet potatoes.
-
Donate to poor
rural families those farm animals that produce food, either directly, as
in milk and eggs, or indirectly, as in the work they do (weed, insect, disease
control, fertilization), & plowing) to help families produce edible crops;
Hence, we specialize in giving heifers, goats, chickens, and sheep.
-
Teach:
- Organic gardening/sustainable agriculture
including beekeeping & animal husbandry to promote self-sufficiency and
personal and community empowerment, as well as to increase long term sustainable food supplies;
- Carpentry, masonry, heavy
equipment operation along with other construction & landscaping skills
so that "unemployable" people can acquire the skills they need to secure
permanent jobs paying a livable wage;
- Nutrition, so that the people who receive the food learn how to store and prepare it to maximize its nutritional benefits; and
- Issues of hunger and homelessness, to raise public awareness and encourage and train volunteers of all ages and all walks of life to participate in the improvement of the lives of their fellow citizens and the betterment of the communities in which they live;
- Serve as a model for replication both nationally and internationally.
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