On June 15, Evergreen Presbyterian Church hosted a festival to celebrate the earth and share information about how we can all be better stewards of our planet — and NEEDS was invited to participate! We shared a booth with the Society of St. Andrew, a national group that “gleans” or gathers donated food and produce from farmers’ markets or fields and provides it to food pantries and agencies that work with those in need. The NEEDS pantry receives gleaned items from the Montgomery Farmers’ Market every Saturday from May through October, enabling us to offer fresh fruit, vegetables, and bakery items to those seeking our help. The Earth Care Festival was a great opportunity to show our community how food that would otherwise go to waste can be used to feed our neighbors.

Festival attendees offered food and financial donations to NEEDS, and several provided their contact information in order to volunteer at the pantry. Thank you to Evergreen for including us!