| Parkland Community Library

Helping Our Community with Plant A Row

Get involved in your community by participating in Plant A Row with PCL! Whether you have a green thumb or are new to gardening, Plant A Row is an excellent opportunity to make a positive impact. Donating just one row of your garden or some produce can help provide nutritious food to those in need.  It’s a simple way to give back, make a difference, and ensure everyone can access fresh, healthy food.

PCL is renewing our patrnership with Plant A Row for 2025.

How to Help

2025 Donation Schedule:
June 11-October 9

Donations should be placed in the cooler in the library’s foyer on Wednesdays from 9 AM through Thursday to 7 PM.

  • First collection: Wednesday, June 11.
  • Last collection week: Wednesday, October 9.
  • We are accepting all types of FRESH fruit, vegetables, and herbs. If you would not serve it, please do not donate it.
  • Do not tie plastic bags shut. Trapped heat will spoil donations.

Tomato Instructions:

  • Please keep tomatoes separate from other produce donations. Tomatoes produce a chemical that causes other fruit to ripen more quickly.
  • Pick tomatoes before they are ripe.
    • Store them in cardboard boxes or recycled containers to keep items from bruising. Recycled boxes from online ordering work great! 


This program encourages local backyard gardeners to donate one row in their existing gardens and the produce from that row to local food pantries and free meal centers. There’s no fee or requirements; it’s just local gardeners growing and sharing to benefit our neighbors in the Lehigh Valley who might be hungry.

No garden? We gladly accept produce purchased from farmers‘ markets and grocery stores.

Participating is easy!

1. Register your garden.

2. Dedicate one row of your garden to donate to the hungry.

3. At harvest time, drop your produce off at PCL.

About Plant A Row

History

Plant a Row Lehigh Valley is the chapter of the national Plant a Row for the Hungry, operated by GardenComm, and serves Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Since 1995, American gardeners have donated over 20 million pounds of produce, providing over 80 million meals without government subsidy or bureaucratic red tape – just people helping people.

2024 Plant A Row Totals for 2024

223.88 pounds of produce donated!

We are pleased to announce the success of this year’s collection! PCL’s 2023 Total for the entire season was 119.7 lbs.

The 2024 season was a significant success, with 223.88 pounds of produce donated! A heartfelt thank you to all the contributors. Beans, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and melons were donated, wrapping up the final weeks.

We want to acknowledge Karen F. of the Parkland Garden Club’s dedication to overseeing the project, helping our community, and bringing the weekly collections to Everlasting Life Ministries Food Pantry in Allentown. 

2025 Plant A Row 12 Week Totals

Donations library cooler in the lobby: 199.47 lbs.

Community Garden: 215.68 lbs.

PCL total through 9/26: 415.15 lbs.

On August 29, 32.6 pounds of donations were given, including peaches, 12 lbs of green beans, giant beets, cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, and slicing tomatoes.

Donations included herbs, beans, peppers, cabbages, squash, corn, berries, fruits, root vegetables, and more.

PCL’s 2023 Total: 119.7 lbs. This year, 12 weeks in, PCL has already received 125.64 lbs. 

Contact us with any questions!

PCL

Adult Services
610-398-1361 ext. 117
adults@parklandlibrary.org

Plant A Row

Lehigh Valley Chapter
610-530-7728
info@plantarowlv.org

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