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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
| State Rep. Dwight Evans |
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Evans, Myers break ground for second season of Hunger Garden
HARRISBURG, May 3 – State Rep. Dwight Evans, D-Phila., today joined state Rep. John Myers, D-Phila., and state Sen. Mike Brubaker, R-Lancaster, in the official second season groundbreaking for the Pennsylvania Hunger Garden, outside the Main Capitol Building.
"Pennsylvania continues to lead the way," Evans said. "When I suggested to the Legislative Hunger Caucus last spring that planting a garden is a great way to bring attention to the issue, as well as help feed others, I was pleased they ran with the idea."
In 2010, the Hunger Garden yielded hundreds of pounds of produce, including tomatoes, onions and green peppers, some of which were used to create more than 1,400 jars of Capitol Hunger Garden Salsa. The salsa is being offered at www.pahungergarden.org for a minimum donation of $25 per jar. All proceeds go directly to the 21 Pennsylvania food banks. The remainder of last year's crop was distributed to central Pennsylvania soup kitchens and food banks.
The Caucus is co-chaired by Brubaker and Myers. It established and maintains the garden on the Capitol grounds.
"The issue of hunger in Pennsylvania is about families not having access to food but it's also about not having access to healthy food," Brubaker, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, said.
"Anyone who has been to a supermarket in the past couple months has seen why it is even more important this year that people plant home and neighborhood vegetable gardens. The prices are shooting up faster than weeds," said Myers. "It's a lot less costly and more healthy to invest some time and a little sweat in growing your own vegetables, like greens, tomatoes, radishes, peppers and cucumbers. If there's no land around your home or a community garden available, many vegetables can be grown in containers.
“Even if you can't have as big a garden as the Capitol Hunger Garden, there is a financial and a health advantage to use what space you do have," Myers, Democratic Chairman of the House Committee on Health, said.
Also speaking at the groundbreaking were state secretaries of Agriculture George Grieg and Aging Brian Duke. In addition to breaking ground, tomatoes were planted.
"Hunger makes it harder for children to learn in school and slows physical development and worsens health issues for senior citizens," Evans said. "Hunger costs Pennsylvania nearly $3.25 billion a year."
Evans said the garden would not be as successful as it is without the efforts of the state Department of General Services and Penn State's Cooperative Extension Service and over 100 volunteers who work the garden.
Evans was invited to appear before the Hunger Caucus in 2010 because of his national reputation as an advocate for projects that provide fresh fruits and vegetables to underserved rural and urban communities. He is the architect of the Fresh Food Financing Initiative, a public-private partnership to renovate or build grocery stores around the commonwealth. The program's success was such that it has served as a model for a national program unveiled a year ago by the Obama administration. Just last week Evans participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Shop 'n Save grocery store in the Hill House District of Pittsburgh.
Later this week Evans will participate in a meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures Foundation Hunger Project.