Community Gardens to Promote Healthy Eating

The Northern New Jersey Business Volunteer Council (BVC), a coalition of companies whose members work year round to help children and families in the community, has kicked off a brand new initiative, BVC Community Food Gardens.

A component of the long-running Brown Bag Buddies, a summer food collection program, the BVC Community Food Garden Program will address the nutrition needs of low-income children by expanding access to fresh produce and promoting healthy eating.

“Too often, families don’t have enough money for the monthly food bill, and fresh fruits and vegetables don’t fit into that budget,” says Tess Tomasi, BVC Coordinator. “But according to the New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition’s Every Child, Every Day Campaign, fresh produce is a critical part of the fight against childhood hunger.”

BVC member agencies identified neighborhoods with a high prevalence of family poverty, and contacted community based organizations serving those families, so that there would be a way to distribute the harvested fruits and vegetables.

The BVC is sponsoring four community gardens in 2011, in Garfield, Hackensack and Teaneck.  Companies and individuals are still needed to support the existing gardens in the form of donations of resources like tomato cages, watering cans - even salad spinners - or money to cover any unexpected expenses as the gardens grow, and to support future gardens in Bergen County.  Visit the BVC website at www.nnjbvc.org to make a donation to the Community Garden Project.

Visit the BVC's website to find out how to get involved with this or other projects of the Business Volunteer Council.