Community gardens benefit Southland food pantries

Carol Malcom (left) Becky Olbrich pick tomatoes from community garden plot near Lincoln-Way East where they raise vegetables for Frankfort

Carol Malcom (left) and Becky Olbrich pick tomatoes from the community garden plot near Lincoln-Way East where they raise vegetables for the Frankfort food pantry in Frankfort, Illinois, Tuesday, August 21, 2012. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun-Times Media

Rene Nolan New Lenox picks peppers while helping other volunteers harvest fruits vegetables one-acre plot lManhattan thwill be donated local

Rene Nolan, of New Lenox, picks peppers while helping other volunteers harvest fruits and vegetables on a one-acre plot of land in Manhattan that will be donated to local food pantriesTuesday, August 21, 2012. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media

Becky Olbrich picks tomatoes from community garden plot near Lincoln-Way East where she raises vegetables for Frankfort food pantry Frankfort

Becky Olbrich picks tomatoes from the community garden plot near Lincoln-Way East where she raises vegetables for the Frankfort food pantry in Frankfort, Illinois, Tuesday, August 21, 2012. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun-Times Media

Dale Carl Bormet help other volunteers harvest fruits vegetables one-acre plot lManhattan thwill be donated local food pantriesTuesday August 21

Dale and Carl Bormet help other volunteers harvest fruits and vegetables on a one-acre plot of land in Manhattan that will be donated to local food pantriesTuesday, August 21, 2012. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media

Becky Olbrich enters community garden plot near Lincoln-Way East where she raises vegetables for Frankfort food pantry Frankfort Illinois Tuesday

Becky Olbrich enters the community garden plot near Lincoln-Way East where she raises vegetables for the Frankfort food pantry in Frankfort, Illinois, Tuesday, August 21, 2012. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun-Times Media

Jan Smith Manhattan picks tomatoes while helping other volunteers harvest fruits vegetables one-acre plot lManhattan thwill be donated local food

Jan Smith, of Manhattan, picks tomatoes while helping other volunteers harvest fruits and vegetables on a one-acre plot of land in Manhattan that will be donated to local food pantriesTuesday, August 21, 2012. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media

Tomatoes picked from community garden plot near Lincoln-Way East where Becky Olbrich Carol Malcom raise vegetables for Frankfort food pantry

Tomatoes picked from the community garden plot near Lincoln-Way East where Becky Olbrich and Carol Malcom raise vegetables for the Frankfort food pantry in Frankfort, Illinois, Tuesday, August 21, 2012. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun-Times Media

Volunteers harvest fruits vegetables one-acre plot lManhattan thwill be donated local food pantriesTuesday August 21 2012. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media

Volunteers harvest fruits and vegetables on a one-acre plot of land in Manhattan that will be donated to local food pantriesTuesday, August 21, 2012. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media

Becky Olbrich (left) Carol Malcom pick carrots from community garden plot near Lincoln-Way East where they raise vegetables for Frankfort

Becky Olbrich (left) and Carol Malcom pick carrots from the community garden plot near Lincoln-Way East where they raise vegetables for the Frankfort food pantry in Frankfort, Illinois, Tuesday, August 21, 2012. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun-Times Media

Carl Bormet picks harvests cabbage while helping other volunteers pick fruits vegetables one-acre plot lManhattan thwill be donated local food

Carl Bormet picks harvests cabbage while helping other volunteers pick fruits and vegetables on a one-acre plot of land in Manhattan that will be donated to local food pantriesTuesday, August 21, 2012. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media

Dale Bormet weighs load okrwhile helping other volunteers harvest fruits vegetables one-acre plot lManhattan thwill be donated local food pantriesTuesday

Dale Bormet weighs a load of okra while helping other volunteers harvest fruits and vegetables on a one-acre plot of land in Manhattan that will be donated to local food pantriesTuesday, August 21, 2012. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media

A tally night's harvest is recorded as volunteers pick fruits vegetables one-acre plot lManhattan thwill be donated local food pantriesTuesday

A tally of the night's harvest is recorded as volunteers pick fruits and vegetables on a one-acre plot of land in Manhattan that will be donated to local food pantriesTuesday, August 21, 2012. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media

Community gardens benefit Southland food pantries

Twice a week, people gather at the one-acre Manhattan Friendship Garden, armed with clippers as they fill buckets and baskets with ripe tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, cabbage and more — thousands of pounds more. There’s a beauty to the bounty, too: The garden was developed solely to produce fresh vegetables for Southland food pantries. And it’s not the only one. … Read More