New urban garden in Squirrel Hill provides fresh produce for food pantry clients

In cooperation with Repair the World: Pittsburgh and NCJW Pittsburgh Section, the Squirrel Hill Community Food Pantry (SHCFP) of Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JF&CS), recently launched a new volunteer garden in Squirrel Hill to provide fresh produce for SHCFP clients.

The Squirrel Hill Produce to Pantry Volunteer Garden, located in the backyard of Anathan House at 1640 Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill, broke ground in early spring and provides fresh, locally-grown produce for clients at SHCFP. Volunteers from Repair the World: Pittsburgh have assisted SHCFP staff members in all areas of garden operations, from breaking ground and planting produce to community outreach and volunteer coordination and preparing for the garden’s first harvests. To date, volunteers have planted and cultivated produce including green beans, tomatoes and other seasonal vegetables, which will all be distributed to clients at SHCFP along with their regular groceries.

“Part of SHCFP’s mission is to ensure our clients have access to fresh, nutritious healthy foods, and the new garden is a wonderful way of continuing and sustaining our efforts,” said Matthew Bolton, director of SHCFP. “Even though individuals in our community may be food-insecure and rely on our services for help, we make sure they don’t have to make nutritional sacrifices.”

Since its inception, SHCFP has worked to ensure that healthy food options are available for everyone. In many cases, healthy eating costs families more and for low-income families struggling to provide adequate food, fruits and vegetables are often out of reach — which is why SHCFP not only supplies an extensive array of non-perishable food items, but also fresh produce, such as lettuce, potatoes, apples and more, as well as freshly-baked breads.

While the Squirrel Hill Produce to Pantry Volunteer Garden‘s primary purpose is providing fresh, nutritious produce for clients at SHCFP, the garden also offers numerous volunteer opportunities for community members and organizations and will additionally provide community education opportunities related to SHCFP’s work and mission.

“The Squirrel Hill volunteer garden truly showcases the tremendous spirit of volunteerism in Pittsburgh, and the commitment of SHCFP, our volunteers and our community partners to provide for our neighbors in need,” Bolton said. “Our overall goal is to ensure food security for everyone, and we can only fully do so with the support of our entire community.”

In addition to meeting the nutritional needs of those who are food-insecure in the 15217 zip code, SHCFP meets the needs of individuals and families who keep kosher homes outside of the 15217 zip code area and qualify for food assistance, as well as those with gluten-free needs or those who live in surrounding communities and are in need of emergency food.

To learn more about the Squirrel Hill Community Food Pantry or to donate or volunteer, visit www.sqfoodpantry.org or call 412-422-2708.

Photo: Dr. Jordan Golin, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Elder Care & Clinical Services at JF&CS, with Kathy Poth, SHCFP Coordinator, at the Squirrel Hill Produce to Pantry Volunteer Garden.