SABATTUS — Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry has joined the AmpleHarvest.org campaign, a nationwide effort to enable neighborhood food pantries to be easily located by local backyard gardeners wishing to share their excess garden bounty with neighbors in need.

Local food pantries usually receive their supplies from regional food banks, government programs and neighborhood donations. They generally do not include fresh produce because of distribution and storage issues, leaving food pantry clients with access only to canned vegetables and fruit.

With one out of six American families now relying on pantries to help feed them, the pantries often have a hard time meeting the demand.

At the same time, millions of backyard gardeners across America frequently find that their vegetable, fruit, herb and nut gardens provide far more produce than they can possibly use or share with friends. The remainder is often either left to rot in the garden or put into the trash, which contributes to pollution issues.

The AmpleHarvest.org website enables food pantries to register their name, phone, address, an optional photograph of the pantry to make it easier to find, and days and times they can accept the gardeners produce.