Seattleites are known for their commitment to fighting hunger, but fresh produce is often forgotten in the donation mix, even as our gardens and other fresh food resources produce more than we use every harvest season. Luckily, Seattle nonprofits are making it easier to put our surplus bounty to good use.

LettuceLink, a program run by Solid Ground, helps make fresh, nutritious and organic produce available to low-income families in Seattle by getting fruits, vegetables, seeds and gardening information to food banks and other programs.

"Ninety-nine percent of what we get from private donations is canned goods, soups, etc., so the level of nutrition is not nearly what we'd like to continuously offer our clients," says Paige Collins, manager of Providence Regina House food bank. "It's always hard to offer a balance of starchy foods, snack items and canned goods in conjunction with enough healthy foods, so the produce is like gold to us."

You don't have to be an experienced gardener to make a difference. Volunteers of all levels can help in Solid Ground's "Giving Garden," a ¾ -acre plot of the 4-acre, organic Marra Farm in the South Park neighborhood. Last year, the garden donated about 3,000 pounds of produce to Providence Regina House -- enough, Collins says, for about 50 people each week.

If you do have your own backyard garden or P-Patch, plant one extra row to donate. Call your neighborhood food bank and see what foods would be most useful, and how and when to make the donation so that it is still fresh when the food bank distributes it. "One row of a decent-sized garden could probably supply healthy produce for 10 families easily!" says Collins.

Don't have time to garden? If you have healthy fruit trees producing more fruit than you eat, register them with the Natural Lawn and Garden Hotline at (206) 633-0224 (or email info@lawnandgardenhotline.org). Volunteers with the Community Fruit Tree Harvest will pick, wash and sort your fresh fruit, and donate it to meals programs and food banks. Harvesting happens twice weekly from July to October in many neighborhoods on both the North and South sides of Seattle.

Get involved this season! To volunteer in the Giving Garden (individuals and work parties of up to 40 are welcome), contact Marra Farm Coordinator Sue McGann. To volunteer with the Community Fruit Tree Harvest, contact Gail Savina. Check LettuceLink's site for information about a food bank near you that will accept fresh produce.