Starting as a family project, Live Civilly has transformed into a nonprofit organization lending a helping hand to those in need.
According to Kahra Buss, Live Civilly CEO and president, she and her husband, Joe, helped guide their daughters, Anna, 13, Grace, 9, and Abigail, 6, and aided in their efforts to address issues of hunger in the community.
What started with food drives, opening a food bank and raising money is growing just like the vegetables in the organization’s designated garden plot at the Moorestown community garden.
“There is so much affluence it’s very hard to kind of take yourself out of that environment,” Buss said, adding many don’t realize there are residents who are not as fortunate as the township’s majority.
The garden is just an addition to the organization’s efforts, acting as a test trial to see if it is worth expanding next year. Buss said the garden project is an extension of the organization’s motto — “People helping people helping people.”
Cucumbers, summer squash, green beans, scallions, eggplants and six different types of heirloom tomatoes are in the garden.
When ready for picking, volunteers tending the garden will gather what has ripened and deliver it to the Moorestown Ministerium Food Pantry — originally started by Live Civilly, but taken over by the Moorestown Ministerium so the organization could expand its efforts.
“We are now at a point where we are looking at this at an organizational standpoint. The goal right now is to have a successful garden this year with the opportunity to expand it next year,” Buss said.
There is one plot designated to Live Civilly. Until the efforts of growing and distributing fresh produce to the food pantry is deemed successful, Buss said they are not looking to expand this year.
“I am a big fan of testing things on a smaller scale before you jump into something huge to make sure you get the bugs and the kinks worked out. This year will be the test plot,” she said.
The organization needs to make sure the garden is going to work on two ends — volunteers tending to the garden and the distribution to the food pantry.
Buss said there are weekly sponsors scheduled to tend to the garden, which started on June 23. Each sponsor is given a checklist and would tend to the garden in weekly increments.
“They will be doing a lot of that this summer as our garden sponsors step up to the plate and participate,” Buss said, adding Live Civilly volunteers will also tend to the garden, making sure it’s weeded and watered.
According to Cathy Roberts of the Moorestown Ministerium Food Pantry, approximately 90 families per month come to the food pantry for meals. But that number can fluctuate, causing the pantry’s needs to fluctuate.
“At this point, we are totally nonperishable. We have no way of giving our people fresh fruits or vegetables. When the community garden gets going, we will have the opportunity to share it with our people,” Roberts said.
When the produce is delivered, Roberts said volunteers would divide it in half to distribute to the noon and the 4 p.m. shifts. Any leftovers would need to be distributed to other charities since there is no way of storing the excess.
“We really don’t know what to expect,” she said.
Live Civilly has been instrumental in not only establishing the food pantry, but also continually hosting food drives and fundraisers to help keep it operational.
Since beginning in 2009, the organization established as a 501© 3 in 2011, helped raise more than 18,000 pounds of food, provided more than 16,000 individual meals and more, according to its website.
Buss said the organization also provides homework help and raises money by selling t-shirts and magnets with the Live Civilly logo.
“It’s really been an amazing transformation from starting this as a project to mobilizing and energizing kids and their families to get involved,” she said.
With the creation of the community garden and the ongoing efforts of the community, Buss said she hopes more families will get involved and the organization’s efforts will expand with it.
“There are needy people in town, and it awakened their desire to help. I think Live Civilly has been instrumental in that awakening,” Roberts said.
For more information about the organization, visit www.livecivilly.org. If you are looking to make a donation to the food pantry, contact Roberts at croberts3637@comcast.net or visit Live Civilly’s website.
The Moorestown Ministerium Food Pantry is located at 319 Chester Ave. It’s open the first and third Mondays of each month from noon to 2 p.m. and from 4 to 7 p.m.
