Plant a Row for the Hungry - How to Start Your Local Campaign

1. STEP 4: Celebrate The Harvest What Is The GWA?
Starting at mid season, enlist the media in The Garden Writers Associ-
Feeding the Hungry
building to the harvest party and cut-off date ation is a highly-respected
How to Start
for recording donations. As the garden season organization of profes-
peaks, the weekly totals will climb dramatically; sionals communicating about horticulture,
so, don’t give up on reporting the totals. It takes gardening and the environment. Its mission is to
a newspaper, radio or TV host very little space
Your Local
provide leadership and opportunities for edu-
to report climbing totals. cation, recognition, career development, and a
forum for diverse interactions for professionals
Wrap up the campaign at the cut-off date with in the field of garden communication.
Campaign
a harvest party. It can be as simple as a gather-
ing to load the last produce at a community
garden, anything upbeat that says “thanks” to
the network members, business sponsors, con- Available Resources At
tributors and media. Invite a celebrity to make a
statement on how local donations have boosted
www.gardenwriters.org
• Take the GroGood Pledge information brochure
the national Plant A Row totals for the year.
Congratulate your gardeners and announce • How to Start Your Local Campaign brochure
next year’s Plant A Row campaign! • PAR Committee Workbook & Press Kit
• Local Volunteer Committee Contacts
About PAR • Find Donation Locations
Plant a Row for the Hungry is a public service • PAR Public Service Video
program of the Garden Writers Association. • Cooking Vegetables Recipes
GWA’s goal is to help to feed the hungry by
establishing Plant A Row networks in communi-
ties everywhere. For information on Plant A Row
in your area, contact:
Launched in 1995, annual Plant A Row donations
top more than 1,000,000 pounds. Plant A Row Carol Ledbetter
is funded by the Garden Writers Association PAR Program Administrator
Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity, and
supported by donations from The Scotts Mira- Tel/Fax: (877) 492-2727
cle-Gro Co., Gardener’s Supply Co., the National E-mail: PAR@gardenwriters.org
Garden Bureau, Fafard, Inc., Bradfield Organics Web: www.gardenwriters.org
and other Green Industry organizations.
Plant A Row has been endorsed by Master
Gardeners, the American Community Garden-
ing Association, the American Nursery and
Landscape Association, the National Garden- Plant A Row for the Hungry
ing Association, and by nurseries, seedsmen, is a public service program
and other garden suppliers. Visit our website of the Garden Writers
(www.gardenwriters.org) and click on the Plant Association Foundation
a Row tab.

2. Gardeners CP AMake H DPifference
S AL
an
R
a
tarting ocal lant ow for the ungry rogram
T he Garden Writers Association (GWA)
sponsors Plant A Row for the Hungry
(PAR), a communications program encourag-
Collections Organizer to arrange qualified
recipients to receive donations at drop-off sites
and issue Plant A Row donation receipts.
food distribution agencies. Get receipts for
your donors!
• Call your food distribution agency partners
ing garden communities to donate fresh veg- weekly to ask for donation reports.
etables, fruit, herbs and flowers to food pantries STEP 2: Plan Your Program
and/or soup kitchens in need. GWA provides campaign how-to information • Celebrate and publicize the donations!
based on feedback from successful field net- • Announce a final harvest date for your cam-
works, along with communications supplies.
STEP 1: Enlist A Network GWA publishes and celebrates your success
paign.
The first step is to recruit volunteer participants. as you fit your campaign to your community’s
Some successful Plant A Row campaigns are run needs and opportunities. STEP 3: Publicize Your Program
by one person backed by a media employer, but Publicity is the key to success. So, the first move
most are networks of garden writers, individu- Getting Started: is to publicize a date and site for the kickoff.
als, Master Gardeners, community gardeners, Call a planning session 10 to 12 weeks before
garden clubs and nurseries. They usually include the planting season. We provide the PAR The challenge is keeping your campaign and
these elements: Workbook & Press Kit. Show the PAR video drop-off sites before the public during the entire
and the public service announcement. Ask
season. Enlist media contacts and feed them
Local Coordinator to recruit the network and the food bank representative to describe the
news breaks, feature stories and photographs
run the campaign — a dedicated person with need for produce and which garden produce
connections in the gardening community. all season long. Send clippings to the PAR office.
is wanted.
We need them!
Food distribution agency partner to contact The Campaign:
organizations that want garden produce and will Here’s how a typical PAR campaign looks. When you know the kickoff date and site, an-
give PAR donor receipts. Look for a dynamic staff- nounce it to media contacts. Offer GWA’s PAR
er from a food bank, soup kitchen or shelter. When planting season opens: video and PSA to local TV. Build attendance by
• Create an attention-getting launch for the asking them for mentions of gardeners and gar-
campaign and give away “starter kits.” den groups joining the campaign and photos of
Publicist to distribute stories about your local
campaign and support it from kickoff through • Publicize the need to Plant A Row. local gardens and newsworthy sites.
the growing season. Publicity is important!
• Ask extension services, community gardens, When you get coverage, thank the editors!
Events Organizer to arrange your campaign churches, schools, garden clubs, businesses,
even food banks to start Plant A Row gar-
“kickoff” day and site and the closing harvest dens. Ask for regular, preferably weekly, publication
celebration. We supply (free) brochures, row of the pledges and donations received and
markers and other supplies for “starter kits” to As harvest season advances: the addresses of drop-off sites. Arrange a “first
give away. Look to local nurserymen, seedsmen • Organize gleaning opportunities from home donation” photo opportunity in a soup kitchen
and other businesses for input. Check into, and gardeners, orchards and truck farms. Have with staffers setting a table with produce and
be sure to comply with, all municipal laws. them donate produce directly to qualified flowers donated by a garden club.