Come SHARE the HARVEST with us!

Here in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont, we work hard to preserve our old-fashioned sense of community and take pride in being neighborly. Knowing the names of the people you meet on the street or being greeted by a wave and a smile as you step out the front door is part of what makes this a great place to call home. During every snow storm, many of my own neighbors in Hartford Village will faithfully bundle up and venture outside to clear not only their own driveways, but the driveways of the folks who live up and down the entire street. It's gestures like these that are so simple, and yet say so much about who we are as a community.

It is in this spirit of "taking care of your own," that West Lebanon Feed & Supply is launching our Share the Harvest program. The endeavor is designed to collect freshly grown fruits, vegetables, and eggs for needy families here in our area and we will act as a drop center for donations which will be turned over to our partners at the Willing Hands organization for distribution throughout our community.

As a way to encourage folks to participate in Share the Harvest, we are currently offering a 20% discount on all garden seeds with a commitment to donate 10 percent of your 2009 edible crop yield. For our poultry-raising customers, we are offering two free baby chicks (in addition to a minimum order of 8 birds) with a commitment to donate 2-dozen eggs per month for 1 year following the commencement of egg production.

Most of us would probably agree that helping to provide food for the growing number of needy families in our area is important. What many of us may not realize is that the majority of local organizations providing food for the hungry are confined to offering non-perishable items simply because of the many limitations involved in safely handling meat, produce, and dairy products. Because of this, the food that is provided is not always the most nutritionally-balanced assortment.

Since 2005, Willing Hands has been working to supplement the distribution of non-perishables with produce collected locally that might otherwise go to waste. Our partnership with Willing Hands via Share the Harvest will not only provide the addition of farm-fresh fruits and vegetables to the program, but will incorporate the distribution of fresh eggs, one of the most nutritionally complete and safe-to-handle protein sources available.

"We are very excited about our Share the Harvest programs," says West Lebanon Feed & Supply owner Curt Jacques. "It's a wonderful opportunity for our customers to rally together and provide a great source of fresh foods to our neighbors in need. We sincerely hope that anyone in our area who is planning to raise chickens or grow a crop would strongly consider participating in this effort. We know times are tough, but we're all in this together...and it's our support of one another that has always made and will continue to keep the Upper Valley community strong."

Anyone interested in participating in the West Lebanon Feed & Supply SHARE the HARVEST program can sign up by visiting our store. You do not have to take extra chicks or discounted seeds in order to help. We welcome your contributions. Thanks for your support and happy growing!