Local gardeners and farmers plant extra rows of fruits and vegetables to directly donate to those in need. If you have surplus fruits and/or vegetables from your garden, consider donating them to your neighbors in need! 

Drop off sites:

Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market

(HHFB truck) at Showers Common

(corner of N. Morton St. and W. 8th St.)

7 am— 12 noon, Saturdays from May—October

Hoosier Hills Food Bank

M-F 9am-5pm

615 N. Fairview Ave

812-334-8374

Call or email us for more information:

Call Michael Simmons at 812-349-3737, or e-mail Brooke Gentile at mhc@mhcfoodpantry.org

Note: You can also call Hoosier Hills Food Bank to schedule a food pick-up.

How You Can Participate:

No matter how little space you have to plant an additional row of vegetables for giving, you can make a great contribution! If you regularly plant too much, the excess will mean a great deal to HHFB. Even if your garden consists only of ornamentals, or a planter on a balcony, add a few herbs. Herbs are welcome because they add nutrients as well as flavor to food. The produce HHFB needs most is fresh, clean fruits and vegetables.

You Can Make a Difference

 It doesn’t take much to make a real contribution! The average harvest from a typical packet of seeds of a light vegetable, such as snap beans, weighs about 20 pounds. Dense vegetables, such as carrots, produce about 100 pounds. The average large, solid tomato weighs a pound or so. Two or three medium apples and citrus weigh a pound. If you have space, plant a row of:

 Tomatoes, Sweet potatoes, Garlic, Summer squash, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Winter squash, Beets, Potatoes, Carrots, Sweet peppers, Onions, Green beans, Peas, Asparagus, Eggplant, Cabbage, Greens, Lettuce, Zucchini, Kale  , Okra

Hoosier Hills Food Bank provides over 83 non-profit organizations with food donations that benefit families, children, and infants in need. This includes 53 emergency food pantries, 7 daycare centers serving low-income kids, 9 youth programs, 9 shelters or residential homes, and 5 soup kitchens.  In 2007, the Hoosier Hills Food Bank distributed 2.3 million pounds of food to families in need.

Join the Plant a Row Campaign

Plant a Row for the Hungry (PAR) is rooted in the gardeners’ tradition of sharing bountiful harvests with others. The plan is simple—we ask you to plant an additional row in your garden and deliver the harvest to a drop-off point near you. The Hoosier Hills Food Bank (HHFB) will pick up the food for distribution to its local network of over 80 member agencies.

The local report of Hunger In America 2005 estimated that 24,500 different clients were served by Hoosier Hills Food Bank. Many clients have to choose between food and other necessities. For example 58% have to choose between paying for food or paying for utilities or heating fuel, 38% choose between food and rent, and 33% choose between food and medical care.

Plant-a-Row Partners

Bloomingfoods operates two full-service natural foods grocery stores, and will soon be opening a third.  As a member-owned business, we promote locally grown and nutritious food while emphasizing consumer education, community involvement, and excellent customer service.

The Hoosier Hills Food Bank in Bloomington, Indiana is a not-for-profit organization that collects, stores, and distributes surplus and donated food products to over 83 local agencies that run feeding programs for the needy. The Food Bank serves hungry families in Monroe, Martin, Owen, Orange, Brown, and Lawrence Counties.

Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard is a community food pantry for the Bloomington area providing wholesome food, nutrition education and gardening programs.  We are located at 1010 S. Walnut.  MHC distributed 577,000 pounds of food in 2006, serving and average of 1275 individuals in 429 households each week.

The City of Bloomington Parks & Recreation Department works on the positive development of the community through the provision of parks, greenspace, gardens and recreational facilities and programs.

Worm’s Way has been committed to the advancement of organic gardening and hydroponics since 1985. Our commitment comes from a desire to share a bountiful harvest with minimal impact to the planet.

Hoosier Hills Food Bank, Inc. is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt nonprofit organization and was incorporated in 1982. We can be reached at (812) 334-8374 or hhfb@hhfoodbank.org.