Raised Bed Gardens

With roots stemming from the Gleaning Program in 1997, our Raised Bed Garden Program was adopted by the Food Bank in 2009 with six partner garden sites. The program has since grown to over 100 gardens hosted at schools, food cupboards and social service agencies. Our partners collectively grow 40,000 pounds of vegetables annually for our network of food cupboards and meal sites. We are grateful for all the volunteers and garden coordinators who tend the gardens from planting to harvest!

Become a Partner Garden

The Raised Bed Garden Program aims to increase availability of fresh produce for food insecure households by

supporting garden installations at partner organizations
providing community education on growing your own food
fostering community around food and gardening

Partners maintain the gardens, utilize produce for onsite programs, and donate excess produce to their local food cupboard. Organizations that directly engage food insecure households are encouraged to apply. See program overview here.

Seed to Supper

The Seed to Supper curriculum, available in English and Spanish (Siembra la Cena), is a 6-week course (2-hours per week) that covers: garden planning, building healthy soil, caring for the garden and harvesting/using your bounty. Classes are led by teams of 2 facilitators and are taught both indoors and outdoors with hands-on activities for 8-15 adult participants. We are seeking passionate volunteers to facilitate Seed to Supper classes in English, as well as individuals who can teach classes in Spanish. View details here.

Grow with Us

Volunteer opportunities in the gardens are available April – October.

We welcome home gardeners to grow and donate produce to your local food cupboard. Please review our best practices for harvesting and donating produce. Please only donate quality produce you would eating yourself. Avoid donating bruised. or overly mature veggies – no giant zucchini please!

Check Out Our Gardening Resources

Container Gardening (Cultivando en contenedores)
How to build a 3 x 8 foot raised bed
Starting a vegetable garden (comenzando un jardín de vegetales)
Community Garden Start-Up Toolkit
Tutorial videos for planting and harvesting vegetable crops
Sample planting plans for three-season gardening: spring, summer, fall
- Plan 1: Radish & Peas, Lettuce & Pole Beans, Beets
- Plan 2: Spinach, Squash, Scallions
- Plan 3: Radish, Eggplant, Beets
- Plan 4: Broccoli/Cabbage, Bush Beans, Lettuce
- Plan 5: Beets, Cucumbers & Bush Beans, Radish
- Plan 6: Potato, Kale/Collards
- Plan 7: Lettuce, Peppers, Spinach
- Plan 8: Spinach, Tomato, Salad Turnips

Chester County Food Bank

4 hours ago

Lentils are great in winter soups and stews, but the protein and fiber-packed legumes are a great base for summer salads and sides. Check out this week's Summer Lentil Sauté recipe. Feel free to add your favorite veggies during the season!

✅ RECIPE OF THE WEEK | Summer Lentil Sauté | Recipe below 👇
2 tbsp. cooking oil
3-4 carrots, diced
3-4 celery ribs, diced (reserve leaves of celery stalks to add at the end)
1 large onion, diced
4 garlic scapes, finely chopped
2 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups cooked lentils
Salt & pepper to taste
Splash of vinegar or lemon juice (optional)

1. Begin by heating oil in a large pan on medium-low heat.
2. Add diced carrots to the pan and let soften for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add diced celery, onion, and garlic scapes to the pan and season with salt and pepper.
4. Once vegetables are cooked, add shredded cabbage and let wilt.
5. Remove from heat and gently stir in the lentils and reserved celery leaves.
6. Season again with salt and pepper.
7. (optional) Add a splash of vinegar or lemon.
8. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Each week at Fresh2You Mobile Market, you can get all the ingredients for the week's recipe for just $6. The recipes are simple yet delicious and feature the season's freshest fruits and veggies. You can find all of our recipes at chestercountyfoodbank.org/recipes/.

Let us know how you're using Chester County's bounty in your cooking! ... See MoreSee Less

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I was at Pottstown yesterday and grabbed some onions, carrots, and red potatoes. They were so fresh and delicious.

2 days ago

CCFB will be closed Monday, July 4th in observance of the holiday. 🍉

If you are in need of emergency food assistance, please call 2-1-1. ... See MoreSee Less

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7 days ago

July 20th is National Pennsylvania Day, and we're partnering with America250PA to help feed our neighbors in need. With the rising food costs, food donations are unprecedentedly low and the demand for food assistance is increasing. Help us stock the shelves - Join us for the America 250 Food Drive.

On July 20th we will host a drive-thru food drive from 9a- 4p at our Exton headquarters making your donation drop-off even easier! Not able to join us on the 20th? Donations can be dropped off Monday - Friday at our warehouse 8a-5p. You can also give to or host a virtual food drive at chestercountyfoodbank.fenly.org/

Volunteer opportunities are available at multiple food bank locations across the Commonwealth. Sign Up Today for this special America250 opportunity at: bit.ly/3aYqtMs

#EveryPennsylvanian #Impact250PA ... See MoreSee Less

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Thanks for the notice, I will get my self over there.

1 week ago

BEET the heat with this light and refreshing tabbouleh-inspired recipe bundle available at this week's Fresh2You Mobile Market. Tabbouleh is traditionally made with bulgar, tomatoes, mint, and lots of parsley but this version is a little earthier thanks to the raw beets.

✅ RECIPE OF THE WEEK | Summer Tabbouleh | Recipe below 👇

1 cup rice, prepared
2-3 beets, peeled & grated
1 bunch of beet greens, coarsely chopped
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
3-4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 bunch of beet greens, coarsely chopped and stems discarded
4 sprigs oregano, leaves finely chopped and stems discarded

For the Dressing:
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar (your favorite kind)
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: pinch of red pepper

1. Prepare the rice according to package directions.
2. Prepare all of the vegetables and herbs and add to a large mixing bowl.
3. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the vegetable mixture.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add red pepper if using.

Each week at Fresh2You Mobile Market, you can get all the ingredients for the week's recipe for just $6. The recipes are simple yet delicious and feature the season's freshest fruits and veggies. You can find all of our recipes at chestercountyfoodbank.org/recipes/.

Let us know how you're using Chester County's bounty in your cooking! ... See MoreSee Less

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They make us cry but we love 'em anyway... it's the ONION and today we celebrate this most widely cultivated species of the genus allium. A staple of every global cuisine, the family of plants also includes chives, garlic, leeks, and hundreds of other species.

These flavorful bulbs are packed with nutrients! The high levels of antioxidants give onions their distinctive sweetness and aroma but also make them powerhouses in maintaining good health, lowering blood pressure, preventing cancer, and so more!

In terms of pungency, white are generally the mildest, red the sharpest, and yellow in between. They're generally interchangeable, switching won't ruin a dish, but it will slightly alter the flavor or appearance of the dish.

Sweet, white, red, scallions or shallots... How do you like to like use the common onion? ... See MoreSee Less

Become a Partner Garden

Seed to Supper

Grow with Us

Check Out Our Gardening Resources

Programs & Education

Stay Connected

Seed to Supper