Welcome to Sunshine Harvest Sharing! A new growing season is just around the corner—I hope yours will be filled with new opportunities to share your produce with folks who can make good use of it!
Sunshine Harvest Sharing seeks to link backyard growers to local food pantries and soup kitchens so that surplus produce can be donated. We are looking to add new recipients to our directories, so if you know of a food pantry or soup kitchen in any of the three areas (E Central IL, Southern IL or Moab Utah), please add a comment at the bottom of the page, providing the name of the agency and an email address of a contact person and I will do the rest!
I continue my work on creating a Directory of Community Gardens for each of the three areas (East Central IL, Southern IL and the Colorado Plateau –Moab UT area) so that people can find places to grow their own food or volunteer to help, and hopefully even cooperate on receiving grants. Please let me know of gardens you’d like to see added.
For those new to the site, please read on to learn how the project works so you will be ready to go when your first items are harvested. If you have friends who also garden and might be interested in donating their extra produce, please share the site with them. Thanks for coming to the site–come back often and let us know how you made a difference using the Sunshine Harvest Sharing Project!
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Original Welcome Letter
Being a gardener, I’ve had extra produce that I couldn’t use. I wanted to share it with those in need, but didn’t know the when’s, where’s and how’s of each location’s rules and regulations. So the produce went into the compost bin. This year, before harvest is in full swing, I am surveying food pantries and soup kitchens to glean instructions for donating home-grown produce. The “fruits” of my labor are contained on these pages to be shared with you and other home gardeners for an easier way to donate extra garden produce to those in need.
To learn more about agencies in your neighborhood who work to provide healthy food to those in need, please check out the Sunshine Harvest Sharing Directory for Champaign-Urbana IL Area or Harrisburg IL and Southern Illinois or for Moab Utah. Each listing will highlight when each agency accepts donations of produce. Agencies are also listed by the day(s) of the week that they accept donations: Champaign-Urbana or Harrisburg Area or Moab Utah. The daily schedule should make it very easy to find a nearby location where you can share your extra tomatoes, cucumbers, and yes—even zucchinis, whether you have a basket full or a handful. Drop off whatever amount of fresh produce–ripe but not overripe–and know that those who will receive the bounty from your garden will appreciate your effort.
For tips and guidelines for packaging your produce, please check out the Produce Donation Tips page. When you donate produce, please mention the Sunshine Harvest Sharing Directory so we can learn that this project works AND come back to this site and let us know (under the comment section) what and where you donated! Check back often, as more agencies will be added. Let me know if you have any suggestions/comments so I can make the site even better!
Take a break from the summer heat and learn how you can team up with the places in your town that are making a difference, one meal at a time.
Cheers,
Lisa Braddock
Sunshine Harvest Sharing Project and Smiling Dog Acres Organic Farm
Copyright © 2013 Lisa R. Braddock. All Rights Reserved.
Posted by Betsy Kuchinke. on August 2, 2011 at 4:25 pm
This is just the best Lisa! Thank you for all your work and the awesome website. You’ve saved me tons of phone calls.
Posted by Sunshine Harvest Sharing on August 9, 2011 at 6:01 pm
Very good, Betsy. So glad to be of help!
Posted by Suzanne Smith on August 2, 2011 at 4:41 pm
What a wonderful resource, Lisa! Thank you. Our community in Homer is in the preliminary stages of creating a farmer’s market for 2012 and this is very helpful information that we can share with our farmers as we develop vendor packets and network at the market. Finding “homes” for our bountiful crops IS a challenge and helping those in need is an integral part of plan. I have already forwarded this site to our planning group and will make it part of our resources.
Posted by sawn Blackman on August 3, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Good job Lisa!! Thank you for this.
Dawn@ COB Food Pantry
Posted by Sunshine Harvest Sharing on August 3, 2011 at 3:18 pm
I’m glad to help and hope we all see some results SOON. My tomatoes are *just* about ready
Posted by Diana Bradley on August 3, 2011 at 4:17 pm
Lisa,You’re doing a great job.Diana-Sadorus Food Pantry.Thanks
Posted by Rhonda on August 8, 2011 at 10:46 am
Lisa, That is so thoughtful of you. Times are so hard, so many people need assistances at this time. Fruits and vegetables make a healthy meal. God Bless You!
Posted by Laura on August 9, 2011 at 8:55 am
This is so awesome!!! Thanks SO MUCH for doing this.
Posted by Bridget on August 9, 2011 at 9:14 am
Lisa,
This is awesome! I never want to waste my fresh produce but sometimes feel like it becomes a “burden” to try to use it all… I’d love to share it with those who need it! Thank you!
Posted by NerdGirl on August 9, 2011 at 10:49 am
This is amazing! Thank you so much for going to the trouble of compiling the information and putting it out online so that those of us with good intentions but poor organization or follow through can get our excess produce to those who need it. You definitely earned several gold stars and smiley face stickers for your efforts! (And yes…I still think of motivation & reward in terms of the stickers I got on my schoolwork in elementary school.)
Posted by Sunshine Harvest Sharing on August 9, 2011 at 6:01 pm
Thanks, glad you find it useful…gold stars and smiley faces are always good!
Posted by John Kuknyo on August 9, 2011 at 4:56 pm
Lisa,
Could you please expand this to Vermilion County?
Thanks,
JRK
Posted by Sunshine Harvest Sharing on August 9, 2011 at 5:59 pm
JRK, I have plans to expand the project to a wider area around Champaign-Urbana, which would include Vermilion County. I’m working on launching the project in a couple other areas and then will work on that project. In the meantime, if you know of particular food pantries/soup kitchens that you think would like to participate, please have them post a comment here with an email address and I will go ahead and start collecting their information.
Thanks very much for your support and for your request to move the project eastward!
Posted by Ella Miller on August 24, 2011 at 11:17 pm
Danville First Assembly offers a Soup Kitchen evening meal once a month – Contact email: miller-em@sbcglobal.net.
Posted by Brenda Rogers on August 10, 2011 at 5:58 am
Lisa we are a residential recovery center in Urbana and would like to be on your list to receive produce….. How would we contact you with our information to be added to your donor list?
Posted by Kathie on August 24, 2011 at 5:24 pm
I have a lot of grapes that I cannot use. Would someone like to make jelly or grape juice?
Posted by Michelle Henderson on August 27, 2011 at 4:47 pm
Lisa, I was glad to see your article in the paper! I have loads of cucumbers. Send me an email sometime.
Michelle
Posted by Julie Miller on August 30, 2011 at 4:29 pm
Great idea! I wish we had one in St. Louis!
Posted by Lisa Black on September 28, 2011 at 9:55 am
This is really an awesome thing you’ve done, Lisa!
Posted by Sunshine Harvest Sharing on November 29, 2011 at 2:39 am
Hey, I’m beginning to work on expanding my project to include community gardens and other ideas. Please take a minute and comment on what you think about the site so I can improve the site! THANKS! Lisa
Posted by Ellen Phillippe on January 2, 2012 at 7:39 pm
The Mahomet Civic Garden Club and Champaign County Forest Preserve District are planning an Earth Day Every Day Event on April 22, 2012. We would love to have you come and talk about your “sharing”, or whatever your would like to talk about or exhibit or demonstrate. Any questions you have, please, please contact me and I will answer them and keep my fingers crossed that you will be part of your event.
Ellen Phillilppe
Posted by Cindy Biggersaff on March 8, 2012 at 9:18 am
Been working with Lisa in Harrisburg with Operation Blessing and I knew that you were a very kind and produtive person, but WOW! This is fantastic, Im getting ready to look at the Harrisburg site now, take care and hope to see you Friday!!!