PJCC’s ‘Grow Justice’ Program Aims to Feed Homeless

Written by Brian De Los Santos

Ending world hunger is not a five-year plan.

But it’s a problem that the Peninsula Jewish Community Center (PJCC) is trying to combat — within San Mateo County at least. 

“To some extent the real goal is raising awareness,” PJCC Director of Programs Stephanie Levin said. “I don’t think people think about this part of the country struggling to put food on the table for their family. But after you look at the studies and do research, it’s really staggering how many people are struggling.”

That’s part of the reason the PJCC is starting its new “Grow Justice: Fight Hunger” initiative, one which grows, maintains and distributes fresh and organic produce to homeless shelters within San Mateo County. 

The program provides food for the InnVision Shelter Network, a non-profit organization aiming to end homelessness within the county, and its goal is to donate 500 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables every year, PJCC Master Gardener Marybeth Lybrand said.

“So far we have harvested 120 pounds since April, so we’re on track for our goal,” Lybrand said. “The food is then donated by families who drive the food over to the food shelter and drop it off.”

That food is grown on a 500 square foot garden in the PJCC with 11 raised beds. To start, the program has grown, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, watermelon, green beans, sweet potatoes, eggplant, corn, carrots, strawberries and herbs. Gardeners have also planted apple, fig, lemon, nectarine and peach trees, but those aren’t expected to fully produce fruits for another 3-4 years.

“Our initial planting day was April 21, that was the day our plants went in the ground,” Lybrand said. “The goal is to really — since the weather allows for it — try and grow year round and always have some fresh food available.”

Providing that food is in an effort to combat food shortages in local homeless shelters. It’s also an effort to provide the homeless with better food options, things other than the nonperishable processed food often obtained from food drives.

The community has responded well to the program, Levin said. The PJCC holds monthly service days — where volunteers can help maintain the garden, even if they hold no prior experience — and has drawn about 40-50 community members to each day since starting in April.

One of the best things, though, about that turnout is the number of children the program has been able to include. Other programs have various age restrictions on children gardening, but with family supervision, children at the PJCC can participate as young as 4, Levin said.

“So many people involved in this project want their kids to have a sense of how lucky they are with what they have and just how important it is to give back,” Levin said. “I think that’s a really powerful lesson.”

In all, Levin hopes that lesson spreads to the community. While she knows fighting world hunger is more than a five-year plan, she hopes to continue this program to at least make the county aware of a problem right in front of them.

“It’s my hope that we’ll continue doing this project as long as it’s necessary, that someday it wont be necessary,” Levin said. “Having access to fresh food, to me, seems like a very basic right.”

The program also offers gardening education to children, adults and families. To learn more, click here.