September 2013

Wouldn’t it be amazing and refreshing to go into a grocery store and trust all of its offerings? You wouldn’t have to read labels and decipher symbols, you’d just push a cart merrily and fill it with the items on your list.

A Taste of Grow Pittsburgh, the organization’s annual fundraiser, was like a glimpse of that ideal grocery store. Instead of shelves of food, there were tables of fancies from many of my favorite restaurants, all under one tent!

Each restaurant donated a sampling from its menu as a sign of support to Grow Pittsburgh, whose mission is:

…to teach people how to grow food and promote the benefits gardens bring to our neighborhoods. We believe access to locally-grown, chemical-free fruits and vegetables is a right, not a privilege. We envision the day when everyone in our city and region grows and eats fresh, local and healthy food.

In doing so, these restaurants reaffirmed their commitment to local ingredients and the community.

It was all just so easy to support! In lieu of a cart in a trustworthy grocery store, I carted around my plate, helping myself to the vibrant offerings.

Furthermore, the diligent worker bees behind Grow Pittsburgh had a lot of progress to share:

1,090+ volunteers donated 2,260 hours of time to Grow Pittsburgh programs

Worked with 1,668 students in five Pittsburgh Public Elementary Schools and two Public Charter schools through the Edible Schoolyard Pittsburgh Program

Grew 3.8 tons of food at Braddock Farms, Shiloh Garden, and Frick Greenhouse.

…so we all had a lot to appreciate (and eat)!