Last year, Joe Ed Lyles, of the Canyon Lake Noon Lions Club, took the project under his wing. It contributed more than 500 lbs. of produce to the CRRC emergency food pantry.
Lyles made some improvements to the garden, and distributed the huge piles of mulch donated by the county.
‘It’s beautiful fresh produce,” says Maureen Schein, CRRC’s resource program director. “Joe Ed and his team do a wonderful job of bringing it in when it’s ready so we don’t get huge zucchini or too-small cucumbers. It’s all perfect.”
Produce is a sought after commodity for anyone’s dining table, so every pound is appreciated.
“We do get some produce brought to us from some grocery stores, but it isn’t as fresh as what Joe Ed brings to us,” she said. “And he consults with me about what to plant; which items are most popular with our clients.”
Lyles talked some members of the Canyon Lake Noon Lions Club into helping him with some improvements to the garden.
“I know that gardening is hard work; it’s time-consuming work. I’ve done it. There’s an intrinsic reward in gardening that gets added on to the actual harvest total,” Schein said. “It’s amazing to me that there are people— like Joe Ed and his team—that are willing to do it for that intrinsic reward, and give up the taste of fresh produce, so that others can enjoy the fruits of their labors.”
The CRRC Emergency Food Pantry, housed at 1917 FM 2673, in Sattler, has been nominated three times, and awarded twice, for a Golden Apple Award from the San Antonio Food Bank. In 2013, it was recognized as Hunger Fighting Team of the Year, recognizing the efforts of the volunteer team. In 2015, it received the All Around