June 14 marked the start of Plant A Row Lehigh Valley’s fifth season of helping food-insecure families and people in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

What does food-insecure mean? Feeding America, a domestic hunger relief organization, says “food insecurity refers to USDA’s measure of lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members and limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods.

“Food-insecure households are not necessarily food insecure all the time. Food insecurity may reflect a household’s need to make trade-offs between important basic needs, such as housing or medical bills, and purchasing nutritionally adequate foods.”

The Lehigh Valley is no stranger to food-insecure families and individuals.

According to Feeding America, in Lehigh County there were 35,640 food-insecure individuals, of which 11,270 were children.

In Northampton County, there were 26,270 individuals who qualified as food-insecure, of which 7,710 were children. Feeding America has projected an increase in the overall percentage rate for food-insecurity due to COVID-19.

Lehigh County’s food insecurity rate, which is currently 10.7% overall, is projected to rise to 15% and Northampton County, which is currently at 8.7% is projected to rise to 13.7%.

The numbers are even worse when you look at children. Data from Feeding America shows that one in six children in the United States are food insecure. The Greater Lehigh Valley is above average in food insecurity for children, with one in four considered insecure, according to The United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.

Plant A Row Lehigh Valley seeks to aid these food-insecure individuals and families by asking home gardeners to designate one row in their gardens for donating.

Home gardeners can also donate overflow produce from their gardens.

If you do not have a garden, you can still help by buying extra produce when you go to the grocery store and dropping it off at one of the PARLV collection sites.

“As we begin our fifth season, there are currently over 300 backyard gardeners registered to participate and 21 collection sites conveniently located across the Lehigh Valley,” the organization says.

Each collection site has one or more designated recipients. Volunteer drivers pick up the produce from these sites and transport it to designated food banks, food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters across the Lehigh Valley.

Visit the organization’s website at plantarowlv.org to learn more, register your garden, find a donation site near you or become a volunteer driver.

Plant A Row is also seeking additional recipients for some of the donation sites.

If your program would be interested in becoming one of our recipients, please contact us at info@plantarowlv.org.