A Garden That Gives Back

Sometimes the smallest gardens can make the biggest impact. For Jennifer Terry, a passion for gardening has become an opportunity to reduce food waste and help nourish others by donating her surplus harvest through Food Finders. 

More than 15 years ago, Jennifer started her backyard garden with the hope of growing enough fresh fruits and vegetables for her family. Like many gardeners, her journey began with trial and error. She started with herbs like basil and was amazed by how successful her first harvest was. Encouraged by those early results, she expanded her garden to grow tomatoes, squash, grapes, cucumbers, figs, and many other fruits and vegetables. 

Jennifer takes pride in maintaining a healthy garden, using quality soil, and avoiding chemicals to grow fresh, nutritious produce. As her garden continued to thrive, she found herself with more food than her family could eat. While she shared some of it with neighbors, much of the surplus would eventually go to waste. 

After learning about Food Finders from a friend at church, Jennifer decided to donate her extra produce rather than throw it away. She says her experience working with Food Finders has been amazing. When the team helped weigh her donations, she was surprised to discover that her backyard garden had produced well over 100 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables. 

Knowing her surplus food is helping nourish others has inspired Jennifer to continue growing and giving back. Donating has also changed the way she thinks about food waste and sustainability. 

“I think twice before throwing things out. I think about how many people this could feed.” 

Jennifer says the most rewarding part of donating is knowing her food is reaching people who need it most. She feels reassured that organizations like Food Finders can help ensure fresh, nutritious food doesn’t go to waste, and she hopes to inspire more gardeners to donate their surplus harvests. 

Her advice to fellow gardeners is simple: 

“Don’t be afraid. You can have a small garden and still be a part of something bigger.” 

Jennifer hopes her partnership with Food Finders continues to provide fresh food for those in need while encouraging others to share what they have. Her story is a reminder that every donation — no matter the size — can help strengthen our community and reduce food waste. 

Have surplus food you’d like to donate? If you’re interested in becoming a food donor and helping keep good food from going to waste, contact Markese Freeman to learn more.