Penn Hills Community Garden's success prompts record donations to food banks

A garden that some call Penn Hills’ best-kept secret donated a record amount of produce to local food banks this season.

The Penn Hills Community Garden, located on roughly five acres along Jefferson Road, donated 1,500 pounds of produce to food banks such as 412 Food Rescue and the Penn Hills Service Association. The number represents a 43% increase from 2019’s donation numbers.

Leeds Allen, 44, of Penn Hills serves as one of the garden tenders. He said the pandemic had a lot to do with the garden’s success this year. As the economy struggled to stay open and restrictions rolled in, gardening was a protected activity. As a result, several new volunteers began gardening, and people who had dabbled in the past now participated actively.

“But some of the increase this year was the weather as well,” he said, adding there wasn’t as much rain.

“So that meant not as many clouds,” Allen said. “So those that were available, they really got out to water the plants as much as possible, and the plants really soaked it all up.

The record donations came during the pandemic’s restrictions, when food banks around the region ramped up efforts to feed people in need. The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank showed an increase of 54% in food distributions in June. More than 10 million pounds of food was handed out from April to June.

Becky Fenoglietto of Penn Hills helps at the garden. She said every one of the garden’s 100 plots was used this year. And people are already reaching out to claim their plot for next year.

The garden sits on a piece of land that used to be a youth baseball field. It was owned by Duquesne Light before it was given to the municipality. Penn Hills officials then allowed the Penn Hills Community Development Corporation to start the garden there in 2009.

Each plot, or raised bed, is about 50 square feet in size. A $25 membership fee to the CDC buys a plot and gives gardeners access to water, tools, seeds, seedlings, a picnic area and knowledge from several seasoned gardeners.

Sara Snatchko, 42, of Monroeville became a member in 2019. But this year she was able to devote more time to her plot.

She said every serious gardener and farmer runs into the problem of having too much produce. She said that’s what makes being a member of the community garden great.

“You always have somewhere to give it,” she said. “And the food from the food banks isn’t always the healthiest. Organic food is expensive.”

Snatchko said she was glad she was able to donate around 100 pounds of organic produce from her plots this year. But that was only one perk of being involved.

“You forget you’re in the suburbs,” Snatchko said of gardening there. “And the variety of birds is astounding – there are so many deer. The sunrises, the sunsets … it’s a little oasis in Penn Hills where you can escape what’s going on in the world today.”