Urban Harvest: Program of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City
Good evening, readers! Thought you might like to see what a Feeding America “model” food bank funded by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation is doing for their communities in Oklahoma.
Urban Harvest
Urban Harvest is a sustainable agriculture program that grows fresh fruits and vegetables for hungry Oklahomans and provides tools to increase family food security through education and training workshops. According to the USDA, health problems from insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption are responsible for 2.7 million deaths a year. An astounding 85 percent of children and 60 percent of adults do not meet the USDA’s suggestion of five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
Community Gardens
Urban Harvest works to encourage the establishment of sustainable community gardens in the Oklahoma City area. There are 28 Urban Harvest community gardens across the state that donate fresh produce to fight hunger in Oklahoma, and another 12 community gardens are in development.
The program assists in the development, establishment and ongoing support of gardens by helping with:
- Information and educational assistance concerning gardening
- Seeds and plants in spring
- Tools and equipment, including compost, manure, straw and other materials when available
- Hosting community garden meetings at the Regional Food Bank facility
For a full list of community gardens, click here (PDF, 102KB). Those interested in starting a community garden can contact Bruce Edwards at 405-604-7108 or at bedwards@regionalfoodbank.org.
Composting
The Regional Food Bank generates waste in the form of spoiled produce, cardboard and plastic associated with shipping of produce. To reduce expenditures on waste removal, Urban Harvest has expanded composting efforts. Produce is diverted from the dumpster to the garden compost processing area. Any spoiled produced is mixed with straw, wood chips and dry leaves that eventually produce large amounts of compost to be used in the Urban Harvest gardens to grow food for Oklahomans in need. A volunteer group called Red Dirt Soil Builders meets Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon to assist with the effort.
Demonstration Garden
The demonstration garden was built at the Regional Food Bank by Boy Scouts seeking their Eagle Scout badge to show various methods of constructing raised beds for community garden settings. The garden is tended to by the Urban Harvest staff and Master Gardener volunteers. Regional Food Bank employees have the opportunity to adopt a bed in the demonstration gardens. Much of the produce grown here is distributed to Oklahoma’s hungry through the Regional Food Bank’s distribution system.
Gardening Classes
Urban Harvest also hosts educational workshops in the spring on subjects like community gardening, organic gardening techniques, drip irrigation, season extension, composting and more. Speaking engagements can be scheduled upon request.
Greenhouse
Aquaponic System and Greenhouse Produce
The Urban Harvest greenhouse houses the aquaponic system, which helps to conserve resources by continuously circulating water below the plants in the grow beds. The system allows as many as 850 units of any greens or herbs to be planted and harvested in four to six weeks. The mature produce is sold to local chefs and businesses.
Aquaponic System Tilapia – fish
The tilapia tank in the aquaponic system holds up to 800 fish and provides the primary nutrients to feed the plants growing in the system. The fish grow and mature into 1.5 pound fish suitable to eat in about 9 to 10 months time. The waste produced by the tilapia is used to feed worms and fertilize other plants in the Urban Harvest production gardens.
Orchard
The orchard at the Regional Food Bank provides fresh peaches, pears and plums that are distributed to partner agencies.
Plant-A-Row
Plant-A-Row is a program for people who want to help feed the hungry in their community by growing food themselves. Launched in 1995, Plant-A-Row was developed by the Garden Writers Association to encourage gardeners to grow a little extra—or a lot extra—and donate the produce to those in need. Gardeners can deliver produce to the Regional Food Bank or to a neighborhood partner agency. After donating, please send the Plant-a-Row donor receipt with poundage from the agency to Bruce Edwards at bedwards@regionalfoodbank.org or mail to the Regional Food Bank.
Urban Harvest Volunteering
There are opportunities Monday through Saturday to volunteer with Urban Harvest. See a full list of available opportunities on the Urban Harvest Volunteer page.
For more information, contact Bruce Edwards at 405-604-7108 or at bedwards@regionalfoodbank.org.
