Author: Brigitte S.

Capitol Hunger Garden Opens for 11th Season

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Deputy Senate President Pro Tempore Elder Vogel Jr. (R-47) was joined by members of the Pennsylvania Legislative Hunger Caucus and numerous hunger awareness advocates today (May 11) to mark the 11th season opening of the Capitol Hunger Garden.

Senator Vogel, who serves as the Chairman of the Senate Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee, and Representative Jake Wheatley (D-19) are the co-chairs of the Legislative Hunger Caucus, whose members work together and participate in outreach initiatives to raise awareness of the problem of food insufficiency in communities across Pennsylvania. 

“COVID-19 increased the problem of food insufficiency in Pennsylvania’s communities last year as essential supply chains were broken and vital school lunch programs were suspended,” said Senator Vogel. “Spring is traditionally a time for renewal, especially this year as our Commonwealth recovers from the pandemic. As we come together to open the Hunger Garden, we are doing more than simply planting seeds in the ground near the Capitol. We are renewing hope in Pennsylvania and taking another step to promote hunger awareness in our Commonwealth.”

The Capitol Hunger Garden, which is overseen by the Hunger Caucus and tended to by the Penn State Master Gardeners, is an approximately 1,000 square-foot area plot of land adjacent to the State Capitol Building.

Since its inception, the garden has annually produced between 700 and 800 pounds of vegetables that are donated to food banks, pantries and local soup kitchens, such as the Downtown Daily Bread located in Harrisburg.

Anyone interested in the Hunger Garden and efforts to address food insecurity should contact Senator Vogel’s Harrisburg Office at (717) 787-3076 for more information. For additional information regarding the Capitol Hunger Garden, please visit: https://thehungercaucus.pasenategop.com/how-to-help/

For more information about the organizations:

Downtown Daily Bread: https://downtowndailybread.org/

Feeding Pennsylvania: https://www.feedingpa.org/

Central Pennsylvania Food Bank: https://www.centralpafoodbank.org/

Penn State Master Gardener Program: https://extension.psu.edu/programs/master-gardener

 

Video of Senator Vogel’s comments at the ceremony.

Video of the complete ceremony.

 

CONTACT:               Cara Laudenslager                  claudenslager@pasen.gov

Ceremony to Mark Capitol Hunger Garden Opening for 11th Season

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Deputy Senate President Pro Tempore Elder Vogel Jr. (R-47) was joined by members of the Pennsylvania Legislative Hunger Caucus and numerous hunger awareness advocates on Tuesday, May 11, for a ceremony to mark the 11th season opening of the Capitol Hunger Garden.

The ceremony will began at 9:30 a.m. The Capitol Hunger Garden, which is overseen by the Hunger Caucus and tended to by the Penn State Master Gardeners, is an approximately 1,000 square-foot area plot of land adjacent to the State Capitol Building.

The ceremony will be livestreamed at: https://www.senatoreldervogel.com/.

CONTACT:               Cara Laudenslager                  claudenslager@pasen.gov

MEDIA ADVISORY 10th Season Hunger Garden Opening 5.07.19 at 9:00 a.m.

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(HARRISBURG) – Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25), Senator Elder Vogel (R-47) and Representative Jake Wheatley (D-19) will hold a public event to mark the opening of the 10th season of the Capitol Hunger Garden on Tuesday, May 7th at 9:00 a.m. directly in front of the garden.  

Members of the Legislative Hunger Caucus will be joined by individuals from the Department of General Services, Feeding Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association, master gardeners from the Penn State Cooperative Extension and volunteers.

CONTACT:  Kate Flessner kflessner@pasen.gov   717-787-7084

Capitol Hunger Garden Opens for 9th Season

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(HARRISBURG) – Today Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25) was joined by members of the Legislative Hunger Caucus and numerous hunger awareness advocates, who came together for a public event to mark the ninth season opening of the Capitol Hunger Garden.

Senator Scarnati and Representative Wheatley serve as co-chairs of the Pennsylvania Legislative Hunger Caucus, whose 83 members work together and participate in outreach initiatives to raise awareness for hunger.  The Capitol Hunger Garden is an approximately 1,000 square-foot area of land adjacent to the State Capitol Building which is overseen by the Hunger Caucus.

“Today marks the start of the ninth season that the Capitol Hunger Garden will work toward the mission of providing healthy food to help those in need and to serve as a valuable tool to raise awareness of hunger issues in Pennsylvania,” Scarnati said.  “It is very important that we remember that even with all the great things our state has to offer, too many families and people in rural, urban and suburban areas still face food insecurity.”

Since its inception, the garden has annually produced between 700 and 800 pounds of vegetables that are donated to food banks, pantries and local soup kitchens, such as the Downtown Daily Bread located in Harrisburg.

As part of the Hunger Garden Opening this year, the Legislative Hunger Caucus also partnered with the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank to hold a food drive.

“Thank you to my legislative colleagues, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, Feeding Pennsylvania, Downtown Daily Bread, the Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association, the Food Trust, master gardeners from the Penn State Cooperative Extension and volunteers for being a part of today’s event.”

For additional information regarding the Capitol Hunger Garden, please visit: www.senatorscarnati.com/palegislativehungercaucus.

CONTACT:  Kate Flessner kflessner@pasen.gov   717-787-7084

Hunger Garden Opening 5.23.18 at 9:00 a.m.

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(HARRISBURG) –Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25) and Representative Jake Wheatley (D-19) will hold a public event to mark the opening of the 9th season of the Capitol Hunger Garden on Wednesday, May 23rd at 9:00 a.m. directly in front of the garden. 

Members of the Legislative Hunger Caucus will be joined by individuals from the Department of General Services, Feeding Pennsylvania, Downtown Daily Bread, the Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association, master gardeners from the Penn State Cooperative Extension and volunteers.

This year, the Bi-Partisan Legislative Hunger Caucus is also partnering with the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank to hold a Food Drive as part of the 2018 Garden Opening.  Food Donations may be dropped off at Senator Scarnati’s office in 292 Main Capitol or Representative Wheatley’s office in 36 East Wing from May 21st through May 23rd.

CONTACT:  Kate Flessner kflessner@pasen.gov   717-787-7084                   

Capitol Hunger Garden Opens for 8th Season

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(HARRISBURG) – Today Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25) and Representative Jake Wheatley (D-19) were joined by members of the Legislative Hunger Caucus and numerous hunger awareness advocates, who came together for a public event to mark the eighth season opening of the Capitol Hunger Garden. 

Senator Scarnati and Representative Wheatley serve as co-chairs of the Pennsylvania Legislative Hunger Caucus, whose 83 members work together and participate in outreach initiatives to raise awareness for hunger.  The Capitol Hunger Garden is an approximately 1,000 square-foot area of land adjacent to the State Capitol Building which is overseen by the Hunger Caucus.

“Today marks the start of the eighth season that the Capitol Hunger Garden will work towards the mission of providing healthy food to help those in need and to serve as a valuable tool to raise awareness of hunger issues in Pennsylvania,” Scarnati said.  “It is very important that we remember that even with all the great things our state has to offer, too many families and people in rural, urban and suburban areas still face food insecurity.”

Since its inception, the garden has annually produced between 700 and 800 pounds of vegetables that are donated to food banks, pantries and local soup kitchens, such as the Downtown Daily Bread located in Harrisburg. 

“The Capitol Hunger Garden not only provides fresh vegetables to food banks, it is an important symbol that shows that we are very aware of the issue of hunger in Pennsylvania,” said Representative Wheatley. “I am proud to work in a bipartisan manner to combat hunger across the commonwealth.”

Also taking part in the opening event were individuals from the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, Feeding Pennsylvania, Hunger-Free Pennsylvania, Downtown Daily Bread, Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, master gardeners from the Penn State Cooperative Extension and volunteers.

Immediately following the opening event, master gardeners and volunteers planted the garden for the season.  For additional information regarding the Capitol Hunger Garden, please visit: www.senatorscarnati.com/palegislativehungercaucus.

CONTACT:  Kate Eckhart keckhart@pasen.gov  717-787-7084

                       

Capitol Hunger Garden Opens for 7th Season

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(HARRISBURG) – Today Senator Joe Scarnati (R-25) and numerous hunger awareness advocates joined together for a public event to mark the 7th season opening of the Capitol Hunger Garden. 

Senator Scarnati and Representative Jake Wheatley serve as co-chairs of the Pennsylvania Legislative Hunger Caucus, whose 85 members work together and participate in outreach initiatives to raise awareness for hunger.  The Capitol Hunger Garden is an approximately 1,000 square-foot area of land adjacent to the State Capitol Building which is overseen by the Hunger Caucus.

“It is very important that we remember that even with all the great things our state has to offer, too many families and people still face food insecurity,” said Senator Scarnati. “Today marks the start of the seventh season that the Capitol Hunger Garden will work towards the mission of providing healthy food to help those in need and to serve as a valuable tool to raise awareness of hunger issues in Pennsylvania.”

Since its inception, the garden has annually produced between 700 to 800 pounds of vegetables that are donated to food banks, pantries and local soup kitchens, such as the Downtown Daily Bread located in Harrisburg.

“The Capitol Hunger Garden not only provides fresh vegetables to food banks, it is an important symbol that shows that we are very aware of the issue of hunger in Pennsylvania,” said Representative Wheatley. “I am proud to work in a bipartisan manner to combat hunger across the commonwealth.”

At the opening, Senator Scarnati was joined by several members of the Legislative Hunger Caucus.  Also taking part in the event were individuals from the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, Feeding America, Hunger-Free Pennsylvania, Downtown Daily Bread, master gardeners from the Penn State Cooperative Extension and volunteers.

Immediately following the opening event, master gardeners and volunteers planted the garden for the season.  For additional information regarding the Capitol Hunger Garden, please visit: www.senatorscarnati.com/palegislativehungercaucus.

CONTACT:    Kate Eckhart keckhart@pasen.gov  717-787-7084

MEDIA ADVISORY – Hunger Garden Opening 5.11.16 at 9:00 a.m

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(HARRISBURG) – Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25) will hold a public event to mark the opening of the 7th season of the Capitol Hunger Garden on Wednesday, May 11, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. directly in front of the garden. 

Senator Scarnati will be joined by other members of the Legislative Hunger Caucus.  Also taking part in the event will be individuals from the Department of General Services and Department of Agriculture, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, Downtown Daily Bread, master gardeners from the Penn State Cooperative Extension and volunteers.

Immediately following, master gardeners and volunteers will plant the garden.  For details on the Legislative Hunger Caucus including membership, advocates, and the Capitol Hunger Garden project, please visit: www.senatorscarnati.com/palegislativehungercaucus.

CONTACT:  Kate Eckhart keckhart@pasen.gov  717-787-7084

 

Capitol Hunger Garden Opens for 6th Season

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(HARRISBURG) – Today Senator Joe Scarnati (R-25), Representative Jake Wheatley (D-19) and numerous hunger awareness advocates joined together for a public event to mark the 6th season opening of the Capitol Hunger Garden.

Senator Scarnati and Representative Wheatley serve as co-chairs of the Pennsylvania Legislative Hunger Caucus, whose members work together and participate in outreach initiatives that have raised awareness for hunger. The Capitol Hunger Garden is an approximately 1,000 square-foot area of land adjacent to the State Capitol Building which is overseen by the Hunger Caucus.

“Today marks the start of the sixth season that the Capitol Hunger Garden will work towards the mission of providing healthy food to help those in need and to serve as a valuable tool to raise awareness of hunger issues in Pennsylvania,” said Senator Scarnati. “This year I look forward to working with Representative Wheatley, members of the Caucus and the many dedicated volunteers who help make the garden a success.”

Since its inception, the garden has annually produced between 700 to 800 pounds of vegetables for low-income residents and approximately 3,700 pounds for the five-year period.  The vegetables are donated to food banks, pantries and local soup kitchens, such as the Downtown Daily Bread located in Harrisburg.  The produce donations prepared 42,000 meals at the soup kitchen since 2010.

“For five years, this garden has provided thousands of pounds of food for area food banks, but the garden doesn’t just produce food, it serves as a visible symbol of our bipartisan determination to end hunger,” said Representative Wheatley. “I look forward to working with Chairman Scarnati to combat hunger in Pennsylvania.”

At the opening the Chairmen were joined by several members of the Legislative Hunger Caucus. Also taking part in the event were individuals from the Department of General Services, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, Feeding America, Hunger-Free Pennsylvania, Downtown Daily Bread, Pennsylvania Legislative Services, Wilson500, Inc., Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association, master gardeners from the Penn State Cooperative Extension and volunteers.

Immediately following the opening event, master gardeners and volunteers planted the garden for the season. For additional information regarding the Capitol Hunger Garden, please visit: www.senatorscarnati.com/palegislativehungercaucus.

CONTACT:  Kate Eckhart (Senator Scarnati’s Office) keckhart@pasen.gov 717-787-7084

Nate Collins (Representative Wheatley’s Office) ncollins@pahouse.net 717-787-7895

Media Advisory – Hunger Garden Opening 5.6.15 at 9:30 a.m.

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(HARRISBURG) – Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25) and Representative Jake Wheatley (D-19) will hold a public event to mark the opening of the 6th season of the Capitol Hunger Garden on Wednesday, May 6, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. directly in front of the garden.

The Chairmen will be joined by other members of the Legislative Hunger Caucus. Also taking part in the event will be members from the Department of General Services, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, Feeding America, Hunger-Free Pennsylvania, Downtown Daily Bread, Pennsylvania Legislative Services, Wilson500, Inc., Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association, master gardeners from the Penn State Cooperative Extension and volunteers.

Immediately following, master gardeners and volunteers will plant the garden. For details on the Legislative Hunger Caucus including membership, advocates, and the Capitol Hunger Garden project, please visit: www.senatorscarnati.com/palegislativehungercaucus.

CONTACT:  Kate Eckhart keckhart@pasen.gov 717-787-7084