Plant a Row, Help the Hungry

A row of tomatoes, peppers, parsley, broccoli and basil is planted to the left of the front entrance of the Connecticut Food Bank in East Haven.

The “Giving Garden” is part of the food bank’s Plant a Row for the Hungry campaign, which kicked off this morning as Mayor April Capone planted the last of five tomato plants in the row.         

“The Plant a Row for the Hungry program is a fantastic program,” said Capone. “It shows people what they can do on a very basic level to help their neighbors who may be struggling with hunger or food security.”

Capone echoed the words of Connecticut Food Bank President Nancy Carrington when she said that 1 out of 7 families in the state are struggling to put food on the table. Carrington called the statistic an “alarming number for a state that has so much wealth.”

The Plant a Row for the Hungry campaign is asking residents to donate fruits, vegetables and herbs to one of the three Connecticut Food Bank locations: East Haven’s at 150 Bradley St.; Fairfield’s at 74 Linwood Ave.; or Waterbury’s at 56 Eagle St.

“We’re hoping that through gardens like this one and others across the state some very healthy, nutritious food is going to get to people who don’t have the money to buy the food that they need,” said Carrington. 

Suggested plantings include:

• Spinach
• Kale
• Cucumbers
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Peas
• Green beans
• Tomatoes
• Sweet Peppers
• Eggplants
• Summer and winter squash
• Zucchini
• Beets
• Garlic