LAYTON -- A local church program has put teeth into the concept of waste not, want not.
Every Saturday morning during the harvest season members of the County Hallow Ward and the East Layton Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bring food from their gardens and orchards and share with neighbors or anyone in need through a program known as Share the Harvest.
On any given Saturday, the outpouring can feature things as extravagant as lemon cucumbers or English cucumbers to such basic things as beet, carrots and tomatoes.
They are placed on a table to share without restrictions.
Members man the table for just one hour, starting, at 9 a.m., and then come back to clean up at 2 p.m., usually to find the goods have been taken.
Displayed on a table at the corner of Gordon and Emerald Avenues, the program goes beyond the obvious.
Bishop James Berlin helped start the program five years ago and said it has become a mechanism to stress the importance of each member having a home garden and sharing the excess, with others.
Originally started at the ward level, Berlin said the stake has now embraced the concept, as regional leaders have stressed the importance of self reliance through gardening and such basic skills as knowing how to can.
The program has also provided opportunities, according to Berlin, for service for youth or others in helping to gather the harvest from fruit trees and gardens from people who could use a helping hand.
Ed Napier is among the stake members who have learned to share excess from his garden. He loves the concept of not wasting food, and of sharing.
Another local contributor, Terry Ashman, sees the program as a means of responsible stewardship, since he said God has blessed local members with fruits and vegetables.
"The Lord provides us with the fruit and now it doesn't go to waste," Ashman said.
Al Fitzgerald, of Layton, is among those people who get a thrill out of sharing the excess of his 2,000 square foot garden. On a recent Saturday, Fitzgerald unloaded a 10-gallon bucket of carrots, another bucket of carrots, and then a bucket of white grapes.
"It's the best thing, they don't go to waste," Fitzgerald said of the produce.
Berlin said one of the benefits of the program is how it has grown and expanded. He stresses the program is not geared for the LDS only.
He said the program is not intended to compete with local businesses, but said last year Day Farms, brought some of its goods to help the weekly program.
He hopes to see the program continue to expand and grow as neighbors share and benefit from the talents from others.
Comments