In just a few months, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has grown more than 6,000 pounds of produce — kale, squash, garlic, mustard greens, asparagus, potatoes, beets, tomatillos, and various herbs — at its Green Resource Center in Montgomery County. They’ve distributed most of it to area residents experiencing food insecurity.
ICNA Relief, a hunger relief organization that specializes in refugee and disaster relief services, works with PHS to distribute food to people in Norristown and Philadelphia.
“They’re really grateful because typical food pantries will give out basics for cooking,” said Dana Mohamed, ICNA area manager for Pennsylvania. “We do that as well, once a month with our monthly food distribution of things like rice and pasta, canned vegetables. But to have this element of fresh, organic produce is just a game changer.”
But for now, PHS is happy to celebrate the end of its first growing season. PHS will open its Green Resource Center at Norristown Farm Park to the public at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. on Monday. Along with the teaching farm, the center has a greenhouse, pollinator gardens, a pavilion for public programming, and 45 community garden beds.
Read the complete article at www.whyy.org.