All Saints, Seton Harvest Set Community Produce Giveaway
All Saints Parish and Seton Harvest bring free produce to their community neighbors on the second Sundays of July, August and September. From 3 to 4:30 p.m. on July 14, Aug. 11 and Sept. 8, All Saints will host Community Produce Giveaway events at the parish’s St. Anthony of Padua Campus, 704 North 1st Ave. in Evansville.
Knight of Columbus and All Saints parishioner Deavron Farmer tells The Message that the seeds were planted when the parish reached out to offer a new home to the displaced farmer’s market that had operated behind the old Greyhound bus station downtown. “I called the Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville, and they said thanks but they had found a new home downtown,” Farmer said.
That’s when All Saints Administrator Father Jay Davidson, Farmer and other parishioners picked up the discussion where they’d left off. They knew there was a lack of any real grocery store nearby, and some of the parish’s neighbors routinely walk or ride bicycles as their primary transportation. Farmer said, “So we asked, why don’t we have a free vegetable giveaway day for the neighbors in and around the St. Anthony campus of All Saints Parish? That generated a ton of other ideas.”
Farmer said the parish contacted Julie Dietz, Community Outreach Manager of the Daughters of Charity’s Seton Harvest Farm to ask about using its mobile veggie van. “We thought we could have our (parish) Wellness Committee set up tables to give out recipes and suggestions for the veggies we give away,” he added. “And we could have our Praise Band, which normally practices before the 4:30 p.m. Mass at St. Anthony practice on the porch of the Rectory outside! And the Youth Group could offer cold water and lemonade to anyone who wants a cool drink. It will be like a neighborhood block party.” Dietz and the Seton Harvest Farm are thrilled to be involved with this community outreach, Farmer added.
The art accompanying this story shows the “door hanger” invitation that Farmer says the parish will distribute to all the homes within four blocks of the St. Anthony campus. He said the event could impact as many as 400 local residents.
“We gave free potted vegetable plants to our parishioners a few months ago and encouraged them to ‘plant extra’ for our neighbors,” Farmer said. “Some of the vegetables from those plants also should be part of the giveaway days.”
The printed invitations note that the produce will be available first-come, first-serve at each of the three events.
