The Giving Garden at Coogan Farm set its most ambitious goal yet this year—to grow 20,022 pounds of fresh and nutritious produce to benefit the food insecure across New London County.
Today, the weekly Tuesday harvest team of staff and volunteers, led by Farm Manager Craig Floyd, recorded 2,801 pounds of produce for the United Way of Southeastern CT. The year-to-date total now stands at 11,087 pounds, officially over the halfway mark to the 20,022 goal.
According to Scott Umbel, the VP of Community Impact at the United Way of Southeastern CT, Coogan Farm is now the largest provider of fresh produce to the United Way Gemma E. Moran Food Center.
In 2014, the Giving Garden produced just over one ton of produce. In 2021, the Garden produced more than 15,000 pounds of food, all donated to the Gemma E. Moran United Way Labor Food Center, which distributes food to 63 programs serving 91 feeding sites across New London County.
The Giving Garden succeeds through a large corps of volunteers. New or returning volunteers are welcome and encouraged to join for Tuesday morning harvest (7-9:30 a.m.) or other days of the week. To learn more about volunteering at the Giving Garden or the DPNC, contact Volunteer Coordinator Melanie Fernandes at [email protected].
