Photo courtesy of Joan Kimmel of the Urban Gardener

Urban Gardener worker Nancye Luisi stands behind dozens of vegetables, which were donated by the local California-Kirkbride post office. The center is one of two drop-off points for a larger Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank effort. 

By Justin Criado

The California-Kirkbride post office on California Avenue has been delivering more than just mail to Joan Kimmel and the The Urban Gardener center.

Just this summer, the post office planted a garden in its extra outdoor space, and have been donating mounds of vegetables to the garden center at 1901 Brighton Rd.

“Suddenly, this year the post office had the idea to use the space as a garden,” Kimmel said. “They just showed up.”

Kimmel’s reaction?

“Bring it on,” she said.

The center serves as one of two food donation drop-off points for the Greater Pittsburgh Community (GPC) Food Bank, but Kimmel admits donations were harder to come by in the past.

“We too often had to turn them away because there wasn’t any donations, especially produce,” Kimmel said.

The donations are given to the Northside Common Ministries Community Food Pantry, which is the largest client of the GPC Food Bank.

With the recent surge of post office produce deliveries, Kimmel believes it could catch on with other community members.

“I hope it will encourage other people,” Kimmel said.

The center accepts donations every Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and will do so until October.

For more information about the center visit the official website.