Things You Can Do

The One Tomato Project  has compiled a long list of things you can do today to help encourage local eating and benefit your food bank.

1. Plant a tomato plant, or any vegetable, this year.

Grow whatever you like to eat, eat as much of it as you can, and donate the rest to a local food bank. It's as simple as that! Be really excited that you grew, and ate, one tomato from a plant that you've nurtured.

2. Make bucket gardens.

If you know an individual or family who is struggling to make ends meet, you can plant a tomato in a pail and drop it off at their house. Or you can head over to a local food bank, and offer to donate some plants to people in need. The average cost for four tomato plants is $1.25, and each plant could produce more than 40 pounds of tomatoes! .

3. Can it.

Have you preserved tomatoes or peaches in the past, and had good results? Consider donating your time to teach a class at a local community centre to teach this valuable and disappearing skill. Let's start a movement to feed people with locally grown produce for as long into the year as we can!

4. Start a "One Tomato" food drive at your local farmer's market or grocery store.

The concept of One Tomato can carry over here like this: if you buy a 10lb bag of potatoes, but almost always end up throwing away three potatoes because they go bad before you get to eat them, then consider donating three potatoes to your local food bank. Ask your market or grocery store to have a fresh fruits and vegetables basket available for people to donate just one thing each time they shop. One apple. One potato. One carrot. Or, one tomato.

5. Create a community garden.

All it takes is a little soil, plants and time to make a huge difference at your local food bank. Whether you see a plot of space in a city park, local business, or community college, there's space to grow delicious vegetables - you just have to find it! Imagine if every organization participated in giving up a little grass for a lot of veggies - what a difference that could make!