Iowa City-based food rescue nonprofit Table to Table (T2T) is seeking new partnerships with local produce growers for the 2024 growing season.
2023 was a banner year for T2T and its local produce partners, with local growers donating nearly 50,000 pounds of fresh produce to Johnson County neighbors in need of wholesome food, and T2T volunteers harvested 4,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables while providing a free service for local farms to help them donate their produce without incurring the additional labor costs of harvesting it.
This season, T2T is inviting everyone to “Grow a Row” to donate to local food pantries. Home gardeners are invited to drop off their produce at T2T for distribution throughout the local area.
The collected produce is delivered to nearby food banks and T2T’s summer and fall Free Produce Stands in underserved areas, as identified by local social service groups. The Free Produce Stands can be found in Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty. No paperwork is required at the stands to receive produce.
“Some of our pantry partners are reporting double the number of visits to the pantries, this year over last year,” says T2T programs and services manager Allison Gnade. “We believe this is largely due to significant reductions in SNAP benefits for families in recent years.”
Volunteers like Lynn Morano assisted T2T in collecting and distributing over 23,000 pounds of locally sourced produce to more than 1,100 local households through T2T’s Free Produce Stands last year, and she said the experience gave her “that feeling of satisfaction and even pride of helping to feed those who need help putting food on the table. [At] the Produce Stands… the food we were giving out was healthy, fresh food. I even learned how to cook several of the vegetables I had never heard of before.”
With local growers and T2T’s volunteer effort, T2T will continue to work to eliminate food waste while also fostering stronger connections between growers and communities in Johnson County.
Produce drop-off hours are 8 a.m.- 3 p.m. Monday – Friday, and 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Saturday at Table to Table, 1049 US-6 E, Iowa City. For larger quantity donations including a request for volunteers to come harvest, contact gleaning@table2table.org or call 319-337-3400.
