Presenter: Newport Giving Garden donates fresh produce to Newport City food shelf, seeks volunteers

A presenter described the volunteer-run Newport Giving Garden and its work supplying fresh produce to a Newport City food shelf. "We started the Newport Community Garden in 2011," the presenter said, noting the project began when a group of women wanted to expand access to gardening and food resources in the community.

The presenter said the Giving Garden donates during the growing season, typically May through October, and tries to match plantings to families' preferences. "The Giving Garden in particular did a survey amongst families that came in asking them, what are your priority vegetables?" the presenter said, adding the results guide planning so families receive foods they actually want.

Volunteers run the garden on a routine schedule, the presenter said. "We have a group of volunteers. It's pretty much a core group of between 5 and 8. So we have our regular routine of Mondays and Thursdays. So Mondays is our day where we're doing a lot of harvesting. Bring it down to the food shelf the day before service, which is Tuesday, is just part of our mission that we wanted to grow food for people in need." That schedule is intended to time fresh harvests ahead of the food shelf's service day.

The presenter emphasized the garden's focus on fresh, locally grown organic produce rather than only canned items. "We really pride ourselves on having meat, dairy, fresh produce, not just, you know, reclaimed produce or canned vegetables, but actually fresh produce. It's more appetizing and healthy. And I think families really appreciate that," the presenter said. Volunteers and recipients also exchange recipes and preparation tips: "We have a lot of people from a lot of different areas of the world, and so they will discuss amongst the volunteers and the families that come in. Oh, we use this. This is how we make it. This is, you know, it's kind of recipes back and forth."

Information for families and prospective volunteers is provided by the garden: "If you're interested in becoming a family that shops here, you can go to our website. Or you can just give us a call and we'll give you all the information. We're open all day Tuesdays, and we're also open Wednesday evenings, so we try and cover times from 8 to 630," the presenter said, describing hours intended to accommodate different work schedules.

The presenter closed by asking for ongoing support and new volunteers, noting most current volunteers are retired and the garden would benefit from younger participants: "The majority of the people who are now working in the garden are we're all retired and we're all older, and it would be really nice to get some young blood involved so that the garden can continue." Interested people do not need prior gardening experience, the presenter added.

The presenter did not provide a contact phone number or a specific website URL in the remarks; they directed listeners to the garden's website or to call for details. No formal motions or votes occurred during this presentation.