Evanston Gardeners: Drop-Offs Help Get Extra Produce to Food Pantries

In backyards and on balconies, in community gardens and in school gardens throughout Evanston, lettuce and spinach are bolting, bunches of green tomatoes are showing a blush of red, and tiny green beans and cucumbers hang on vines. This year's cool, wet weather has made it a great year to grow food in Evanston, especially lettuce. 

Sometimes gardeners grow a little (or a lot) more food than they know what to do with. Edible Evanston has the ideal solution for surplus produce grown right here in our city. For the third summer the group is collecting produce grown in Evanston and distributing it to those in need through two partner food pantries.

Edible Evanston has expanded to four convenient drop-off locations where gardeners can bring herbs, greens, vegetables and fruits that would otherwise go to waste. The program initially focused on Evanston Community Gardeners but now accepts contributions from all residents with excess produce.

In South Evanston, Tuesday–Wednesday:

• James Park Community Gardens
• The entry at the Levy Community Center, 300 Dodge Ave.

Edible Evanston collects produce starting each Tuesday at 5 p.m. until 1:00 p.m. each Wednesday when volunteers bring the produce to Harvest Food Pantry at 2495 Howard St. to feed hungry families.

In North Evanston, Friday–Saturday:

• McCormick Community Gardens (McCormick Boulevard at Bridge Street).
• Twiggs Community Gardens (Simpson and Bridge streets)

Coolers are set out on Friday evening and produce is collected from these coolers at Noon each Saturday when volunteers bring it to the Hillside Food Pantry at 2727 Crawford Avenue.

Faith Albano, Hillside Pantry’s Coordinator of Food Distribution and Food Rescue says “We are so thankful to Edible Evanston for the fresh produce! It helps provide food to people who don’t normally get fresh produce.”

In 2013 nearly 450 pounds of produce—from feathery dill to weighty squash—was saved from waste and shared with  families in need. The group aims to double that in 2014.

“Edible Evanston's food sharing program has solved my gardening guilt,” say Tim Sonder, a backyard gardener. “I can't resist all the varieties in seed catalogs in January, but there's a limit to what we can eat, freeze, can and pickle. Now we can grow as much as we want and know it's reaching people in need.”

Edible Evanston has its roots as one of the “Ten Big Ideas” of the Evanston 150 anniversary organization. The group holds educational workshops to assist and encourage growing food in Evanston and was instrumental in developing the Eggleston Anniversary Orchard in Eggleston Park on McCormick Boulevard. A 2014 grant from the Evanston Community Foundation will allow it to nearly double the number of fruit trees and bushes in the orchard in the next year.

More information is available at edibleevanston.org and questions regarding produce donations can be sent to foodsharing@edibleevanston.org.