Master Gardeners Angelina Lai and Susan Yeagar haul some plants.
Master Gardener Karen Palmer prepares transplants for planting.
The Clark County Master Gardeners are encouraging local gardeners to grow food to donate to local food banks through their new program, Share the Bounty. Gardeners in the new program dedicate part of their gardens to supplying food to those in need during times of economic uncertainty due to COVID-19.
Master Gardener Coordinator Erika Johnson said she thought of the idea for the program because of the coronavirus pandemic and uncertainty of the food supply chain.
“I thought about creative ways that our volunteer community could be of service to folks that were going to be in need,” Johnson said. “I also knew there would be a strong interest in growing your own food as that is not an uncommon response historically when these kinds of things happen.”
Gardeners who sign up for the program will receive 10 free research-based garden education classes as well as multiple options for places to share the bounty. According to Johnson, the education classes are much like other Master Gardener classes. However, Johnson and her team sent out a poll to research how much experience gardeners in the program had and are tuning the classes to the different levels of gardening education.
“We chose 20 topics and have two presentations a week, and we try to time them to what folks might be doing in the garden,” Johnson said.
Johnson said more than 25 people have signed up for the program, which has no limit to the amount of people that can join.
“The more the merrier,” Johnson said. “Since it’s being offered virtually, we can accommodate large numbers.”
Signing up for the program is entirely free and gardeners can choose where to send the food they grow. Gardeners can pick from a number of Clark County food banks and food resources in the county online through the program. Johnson said the only requirement for joining the program is sending out a monthly update with how much food has been donated.
“We want to keep a monthly indication of efforts so we can tell folks how much food they’ve donated and how much their efforts have helped,” she said.
Johnson has been with the Master Gardener program for the past eight years and said her favorite part is reaching people with different passions.
“The Master Gardener program has programming for just about anyone who loves doing anything outside. We have folks that are interested in supporting pollinators, we have folks that love growing fruit and those that love trees,” she said, mentioning that trees are her passion when it comes to home gardening. “These people have a real heart for the community and are growing to give and growing to share.”
If you have some extra garden space and would like to share your bounty, head over to extension.wsu.edu/clark/share-the-bounty/ to register for free.
