See also: John-Paul Maxfield and Waste Farmers are growing a business based on ending waste
"We want people growing at home," explains John-Paul Maxfield, founder of Maxfield's as well as Waste Farmers. "The whole idea is that there are these urban farming groups popping up, like Urbiculture. They do really well when they harvest and have excess -- we want that excess produce from home gardens and urban farms to go to people most in need." Waiting six months to reap the benefits of seeds sowed last spring means patience might be a gardener's best virtue. But now, during Hunger Awareness Month, Maxfield's is helping to harvest these plots, and donate crops to Produce for Pantries, a nonprofit coalition of thirteen organizations devoted to fighting hunger. On Tuesday, the Maxfield's crew was at Root Down; yesterday, it went to the Urbiculture garden at 832 Kalamath Street."As we have excess in our gardens, we're able to not only feed ourselves, but feed our neighbors and then ultimately larger parts of the community," says Matthew Celesta, a volunteer working on the Maxfield's harvest.
"Maxfield's soil is too good, so you end up getting too many vegetables," Celesta adds. "It's the darndest thing."Keep reading for more photos of the Urbiculture harvest.
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