New to town, Stonington teen sets up vegetable donation program
With website created, Ali Thomas looks to recruit more farms
Stonington — A high school student who recently moved to town has started a program to collect unused produce from local farms and donate it to the food pantry at the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center.
Ali Thomas, 17, a rising senior at Deerfield Academy in western Massachusetts, has so far been collecting produce several times a week from Wehpittituck Farm on Cove Road and delivering it to the neighborhood center.
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to return to her previous home in Vero Beach, Fla., in March,
Ali Thomas, left, collects a crate of peppers Tuesday from farmer Jimmy Moran at Wehpittituck Farm in Stonington. Thomas, 17, has been collecting produce and donating it to the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center’s food pantry.
she began volunteering at a local food bank that was supplied by donations of vegetables, including tomatoes, cucumbers and corn, from local farms.
“People really seemed to appreciate the fresh produce,” she said.
When she moved here in June she said she wanted to continue that kind of work, so she reached out to the neighborhood center and the farm. So far, she estimates she has delivered a few hundred pounds of produce to the center.
She has created a website for the program, www.squashhunger.net, and is looking to recruit more local farms so she can expand her donations to not just the neighborhood center but other organizations that help the needy.
“I know people are in need, especially now. And I’m surrounded by farms. I wanted to take the opportunity to do something beneficial,” she said about why she started the program.
Neighborhood Center Executive
Director Susan Sedensky said the center food pantry typically is supplied by produce from the PNC garden, as well as donations from residents with gardens. Thomas’ deliveries have added to that supply.
“They’re really, really good vegetables she’s giving us,” Sedensky said. “And coming from the farm, they’re really fresh.”
She said Thomas’ donations have inspired the neighborhood center to set up a Friday farmers market from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to distribute produce, bread and other items before the weekend. There’s even music.
“People have enjoyed it. It’s been a really nice addition,” she said.