The Fall 2022 edition of the Free Fruit!
Holiday Break Schedule
Free Grocery Store will be taking Dec. 17 – Jan. 9 off for our holiday break. We’ll resume service on Tuesday, Jan. 10 for our weekly in-person pantry . Deliveries will resume by the following schedule:
- Jan. 10 – Clients west of 34th St & SW 23rd Ter
- Jan. 17 – Clients east of 34th St & SW 23rd Ter
Reconfirmation
Delivery clients: your last day to confirm that you still need deliveries is Dec. 16. If you’ve already confirmed, thank you! If you don’t confirm by this date, service will be stopped and you will have to rejoin our waitlist.
Calling or emailing us alone will not complete the confirmation. We will need additional information from you to proceed.
We encourage all delivery clients who are mobile to switch to using our in-person pantry. This allows you to pick your own food and frees up capacity to deliver to homebound clients and clients without transportation.
Rebuilding Mobile Pantries
Earlier this year, we successfully piloted mobile pantry distributions in Holly Heights. Moving forward, we hope to partner with residents to help us manage neighborhood mobile pantries. If you live in the following neighborhoods and want to help lead a distribution, please reach out to us!
- Holly Heights
- Tower Oaks
- Tower Oaks Glenn
- Kanapaha
- Arredondo
- Phoenix
Getting Involved
Do you care about making nutritious food free and abundant for everyone? Here are ways to get involved with Free Grocery Store:
- Sort food and pack delivery orders at the Civic Media Center every Tuesday!
- Deliver orders for our homebound or transportation-limited clients every Tuesday! Takes about an hour and a half.
- Help out at our garden every Sunday at 9 am, at McRorie Community Garden.
- Have a special project you wanna do? Want to help facilitate one of our pack-outs? Contact us directly to become an organizer.
For more information, visit our volunteer page.
Hurricane Ian Disaster Relief
Although Hurricane Ian only grazed Gainesville, it left devastating damage in its path through the peninsula. We organized a supply drive for comrades in Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, Central Florida Mutual Aid, and We Rise 4 Wellness to do food relief in Southwest Florida, Orlando, and Arcadia! In total we donated 1.5 tons of food, water, and supplies. Thanks to Gainesville for showing up to support our friends further south! See more of our efforts on our Instagram @admin
GNVFGS.org is Live!
If you haven’t visited yet, we have a shiny new website! Here you’ll find further information on how to get involved as well as a calendar for client delivery schedules, breaks, commodity senior box distribution, and volunteer opportunities.
Access it at gnvfgs.org (but you’re already on it!)
Harm Reduction Supplies Available
We are partnering with Out of Harm’s Reach to provide free access to harm reduction resources, HIV test kits, condoms, Narcan to counteract overdoses, clean injection supplies, and more. For more information on how to get these supplies, contact us or Out of Harm’s Reach.
Other Resources Available
Here’s a list of organizations we trust in providing food, housing, and other social services!
- Civic Media Center – event space, book library themed around radical literature, hosts our in-person services. 433 S Main St. (352) 373-0010
- Out of Harm’s Reach – harm reduction trainings and services. (352) 559-9948
- SouthWest Advocacy Group (SWAG) – one-stop service center to connect residents to more services; child care. Serves Holly Heights, Linton Oaks, Tower Oaks, and more areas surrounding. 807 SW 64th Ter. (352) 505-6823
- Bread of the Mighty – info for pantries and mobile distributions from other agencies in your area. Does not provide food to individuals. (352) 336-0839
- GRACE Marketplace – manages programs for people experiencing housing instability, including shelter and rehousing. 3055 NE 28th Dr. 352-792-0800
- Torchlighters Re-Entry Support Group – peer support for people leaving jail or prison, including providing resources and certifying businesses that don’t discriminate against people with records. A project of Community Spring. (352) 559-4505
What’s Growing at the Garden?
We have:
- Collards!
- Strawberries!
- Snow peas!
- Oregano!
- Mustard Greens!
- Radishes!
- Carrots!
- Brussels Sprouts!
- Velvet Beans!
- Kale!
Sautéed Veggies and Side Salad
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- nasturtium flowers or leaves
- 1/4 c of olive oil or sesame oil
- chopped bunches of collards & mustard greens
- chopped sauté mix: radishes, peas, carrots & kale
- 1/3 c of soy sauce
- seasoning ideas: oregano, rosemary, black pepper, & your favorite mix!
Directions
- Heat pan to a low medium and add oil & minced garlic.
- Add chopped sauté mix and add dried seasonings
- Get side salad going with the chopped greens, olive oil, soy sauce, & seasonings!
- Turn off heat & garnish both dishes with the flowers & leaves of nasturtium, fresh rosemary, or oregano from our garden!