Plant a Row, Grow A Row
The Plant a Row Grow a Row program invites local gardeners to grow an extra row of vegetables, or donate extra fruit and vegetables to their local food bank or soup kitchen. Food Banks are then given an opportunity to educate people about hunger issues locally and nationally. Established by the Canadian Association of Food Banks, The Composting Council of Canada and the Garden Writers Association of America, Plant a Row Grow a Row builds on the long-standing tradition of gardeners loving to share their harvest with others.

HOW YOUR FOOD BANK CAN PARTICIPATE
The Plant a Row Grow a Row program invites local gardeners to grow an extra row of vegetables, or donate extra fruit and vegetables to their local food bank or soup kitchen while giving food banks the opportunity to educate people about hunger issues locally and nationally.

Established by the Canadian Association of Food Banks, The Composting Council of Canada and the Garden Writers Association of America, Plant a Row Grow a Row builds on the long-standing tradition of gardeners loving to share their harvest with others.

	Local Horticultural Society

HOW TO GET STARTED
Chances are there is a local gardening group or horticultural society in your community. Go and speak to these groups about getting a campaign started. An excellent resource is the Composting Council of Canadas website at www.compost.org.

Food banks can form a campaign committee and elect a chairperson with the following positions:

Local Coordinator - recruits the network and runs the campaign, a person with connections to the gardening community. This person can solicit help from local schools, day camps, faith groups or arts groups.

Recipient Representative - motivates the network, the media and the donors. This person talks about the community needs and the need for fresh fruits and vegetables. This person will work with the Produce Organizer & Events Organizer to arrange drop-off sites and collection days.

Produce Organizer - arranges for drop-off and collection sites for produce and records pledges.

Events Organizer - arranges a Plant a Row Grow a Row kick-off day and site, distributes brochures and starter kits and plans the closing harvest day. Look to your local composting facility or gardening centre for help in staffing this big job.

Publicist - creates stories about the campaign, from kickoff day, during the growing season, to harvest day. This person should have connections with the local media.

Kickoff Day at a Community Park

KICKOFF DAY
Choose a site that people are familiar with. A local garden centre or grocery store that sells plants and seeds can be an ideal location. A park or community centre is also a good location.

Choose a date around planting season.

Ask a garden centre or grocery store for seed donations to include with a starter kit. A starter kit can also include a Plant a Row Grow a Row brochure, row markers made by local schools or childrens art classes, information about the food bank.

Your publicist should prepare a press release and distribute it to local media in advance of the event. Let people know that a Plant a Row Grow a Row program is starting in the community.

Photocopy the Plant a Row Grow a Row brochure for distribution at the event. You should add the food banks name and telephone number to the back as well as local sponsors and partners. An electronic copy is available on the Composting Council of Canadas website, www.compost.org.

On kickoff day, have people pledge to Plant a Row Grow a Row for your food bank. Let people know where the food bank is so they can deliver the produce. Also, inform people of what donations youre looking for (eg. root vegetables, produce that is easily handled and stored).

	Little Gardener

THROUGHOUT THE GARDENING SEASON
Keep gardeners informed and motivated. Your publicist should continue to contact people in the media to do stories on how produce is used in the soup kitchen, who donated the first harvest, how the local day camp is helping; provide leads for human interest stories. Have a photo op at the food bank or soup kitchen of someone dropping off a donation or a food bank volunteer chopping the fresh produce. Be sure that people know that Plant a Row Grow a Row donations should be delivered right to the food bank. Keep records of donations. Keep the momentum going until

Freshly Harvested Crop

HARVEST DAY
Establish a cut-off date for recording donations and mark that date with a Harvest Day.

Choose a location for the event and advertise it well. Invite a local celebrity to the event.

Be prepared to collect donations and take lots of photos. Take time to celebrate the community's achievement and thank them for their participation. Reiterate that need exists in the community.

Let the CAFB how much you collected in your community by mailing, faxing or e-mailing us with your totals. We'll include your numbers in our national statistics.

About the National Founding Partners of Plant a Row o Grow a Row

The Canadian Association of Food Banks (CAFB) is the national umbrella group for food banks in Canada, with members in every province. It distributes corporate food donations and works on behalf of its members and the families they serve, with the objective that no one should go hungry in Canada.

The Garden Writers Association of America is a highly respected organization of professionals communicating about horticulture, gardening and the environment. Its mission is to provide leadership and opportunities for education, recognition, career development, and a forum for diverse interactions for professionals in the field of garden communications.

The Composting Council of Canada is a national non-profit, member-driven organization with a charter to advocate and advance composting and compost usage. It serves as the central resource and network for the composting industry in Canada and, through its members, contributes to the environmental sustainability of the communities in which they operate.