Harvest Helpers

Harvest Helpers is a great program here at Keohane, which is loved by the staff and community alike. The premise for the program is quite simple: we distribute free seedlings to anyone in the community who is willing to grow the plants and then donate the produce to the Interfaith Food Pantry when harvested. We also plant and tend to a backyard garden of our own at our Quincy location, donating the harvested crops. The garden last year yielded tomatoes, green peppers, beans, cucumbers, zucchini, and herbs – all healthy, nutritious, home-grown produce that goes towards nourishing those most in need.

Interfaith Social Services calls the Harvest Helpers program “a sustainable community-based endeavor that uses locally grown food to alleviate the hunger that exists within our community.” In other words: it is so simple, yet so rewarding.

Joe Reardon says of the program:

‘Harvest Helpers is a great program. The thought that people can help others by merely tending their own gardens is so simple yet so overlooked. There are so many people who don’t have enough to eat and can benefit from fresh fruits and vegetables. It is healthy. It is green. And, it is a great way to give back to the community and invite our neighbors to help.’

Here are some ways you can participate in the Keohane Harvest Helpers Program: