LAKE STEVENS – People who patronize the Lake Stevens Food Bank don’t just get the usual canned and packaged food items.
The Lake Stevens Rotary Club helps supplement the dietary needs of local residents by growing a vegetable garden. Last week, club members delivered fresh lettuce, cucumbers, green onions, turnips and cabbage to the food bank, which is housed at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 2111 117th Ave. NE.
“They have quotas, but at the end, everything is up for grabs,” according to Kay Solvik, the church’s education director. Her window looks out on the food bank. “People are very appreciative of having fresh fruits and vegetables.”
The garden began four years ago as a community project, club member Sam Bryce said. The original idea was to create a pea patch for seniors, but it wasn’t in a convenient location for seniors to get to, particularly when it rains, he said. The garden is in a field behind Bryce’s house.
The club then decided to grow vegetables for the food bank. Next year, the Lake Stevens High School’s Interact Club will maintain the garden, he said.
Each week, whatever is ripe is harvested and delivered to the food bank.
Jan Tilly, the food bank’s volunteer director, suggested that everyone who plants a home garden should add an extra row next year to provide food for their own local food banks.
Reporter Cathy Logg: 425-339-3437 or logg@heraldnet.com.
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