INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — What was once an empty, unused corner of the Dow AgroSciences Global Headquarters campus in northwestern Indianapolis is helping fill a local food pantry with freshly grown produce.
Now in its second year, the Harvest for Hunger Garden grows 52 varieties of vegetables, berries and herbs in 84 plots on two acres in Dow AgroSciences’ southeastern corner on Zionsville Road, just north of a major shopping center. The gardens are grown and tended by Dow employees, all volunteers.
Each participant devotes half his or her plot to growing for food pantries. The other half, planting whatever they wish, is for personal use, though they can (and sometimes do) donate that produce as well. Some plots are devoted entirely to donated produce. In 2014, 3,000 pounds were given to food pantries.
"I’ve been here 27 years, and this level of (volunteer) involvement is off the charts," said Bruce Jacobs, a market manager and member of the Dow Lawn and Landscape Club, who helped with organizing the community garden.
"I’m not a vegetable grower, my background is in turf and landscaping, but I can get volunteers together." Still, he expressed surprise that more than 200 employees came to the first meeting to learn about the garden.
The company board approved a three-year plan for the garden "in three minutes," Jacobs said. Dow gave free use of the land – which due to underground gas lines, could not be built upon for any other purpose – and the project is funded by employees organized as Hunger Solutions Network, and the Lawn and Landscape Club.
"The first year was a big success, so we went to Year Three in Year Two," Jacobs said. "We have 100 people who are active in this garden. We ran out of plots, and some people are doubling up on plots."
Crops include basil, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, cauliflower, cilantro, collard greens, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, kale, kohlrabi, okra, onions, parsley, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, snap peas, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatillos, tomatoes, watermelon and zucchini.
The project is overseen by volunteer managers Cory Larsen and Brock Martindale. "It’s been a great success," Larsen said. "We’re out here twice a week to harvest, and we have 20 volunteers a week out here. We’ve been pretty low-key as far as assigning tasks – whether if you can give a few minutes or two hours."
The outreach to local communities goes beyond the food donated, Martindale said. "It’s giving us an opportunity to share our knowledge, share our expertise," he explained. "We’ve had groups coming from the inner city to learn about this. We had Girl Scouts here to earn their Gardening badge. I’m glad to see kids get their hands dirty."
"The parents are glad to see those dirty hands, too," Larsen said. "My daughter said she learned more here than she did in her science class."
On a late-August day, 358 pounds of produce, including green beans, potatoes, okra, squash and bell peppers, were gathered and donated to Crooked Creek Food Pantry, located in a health center in northwestern Indianapolis. The facility is part of the Eskenazi Health network, which serves low-income patients, and donates use of space for the pantry, an independent 501(c)(3) organization.
"The pantry is located in what is considered a ‘food desert,’" said Maria Blake, the pantry’s chief operating officer. "It’s one of the food deserts in the city where there is an absence of any grocery store where people can get healthy options, and because we’re located inside the health center, we have a vested interest in providing healthy food.
"For a lot of clients, buying fresh vegetables is something that is not within their means to do, either because of transportation issues or because of economic issues."
The pantry opened in February of this year, to serve a growing need. "Since we have opened, we have grown from serving an average of 45 people a week to serving over 200," she said. "I think the numbers will continue to go up."
Jacobs said the garden might expand its planting, where there is room for more rows. Immediate plans call for building a garden shed and better signage to inform passersby, both provided by coworkers at cost, he said.
The project’s success hasn’t gone unnoticed by the parent company. "Dow Chemical is looking at this," Jacobs said, "to replicate this (at its facilities) around the world."
