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cause the cost of nutritious food is so
much higher than the [cost of] junk
food. That really struck me.”
In 2009, Anderson applied for and
obtained a grant from the Palmer
and Jane D. Davenport Foundation
of South Yarmouth to buy fresh
produce for the pantry. “It’s not
really enough,” Mary says, “we can
offer only one or two selections and
our clients are allowed to come only
once every three weeks, but at least
it is a start.”
Enter Don, president of Patrissi
Landscaping in Harwich Port. Don
is the visionary behind the new
three-quarter-acre organic garden
that is under construction behind
the pantry warehouse. His son, Kyle
Milbier, 29, who manages Patrissi
Landscaping, is also part of the
garden committee. Don’s daughterin-law,
Catherine O’Leary-Milbier,
a teacher at the Lighthouse Charter
School in Orleans, plans to bring
her class to help plant the garden in
May.
“In my six years on the board, I’ve
seen an incredible increase in need,”
Don says, “Many of our clients rent
their homes and do not have the
opportunity to experience a garden.
We want them to have
that experience.”
The garden will have
blueberries, strawberries,
tomatoes, beans,
lettuces and peppers, as
well as herbs, perennials
and fruit trees. “We
plan to have pick-yourown
days, a pumpkin
patch in the fall and
ultimately clientmaintained
sections.
The garden will be
inviting to all,” he says.
“We will have wheelchair access; we
want seniors to come and participate
or just enjoy the space. We are also
talking with Cape Abilities about
the potential of a joint effort.”
“We call it an ‘inspiration garden,’”
Don continues, “and I am inspired
by the number of people who have
come forward to help.”
Starting with the town of
Harwich, which granted a longterm
lease on town property for the
garden, the list of supporters is long.
The owners and staff of many local
companies have stepped up to help,
Don says. Some of these are John
Don is the
visionary behind
the new
three-quarter-acre
organic garden
that is under
construction
behind the
pantry warehouse.
Quickhits
Helping those in need
The Family Pantry Corp.
Mary E. Anderson, executive
director
133 Queen Anne Road
Harwich, MA 02645
508 432-6519
www.TheFamilyPantry.com
Hours: 10 a.m.–noon and 1:30–
3:30 p.m. Tuesdays; 10 a.m.–noon,
1:30–3:30 p.m. and 5:30–7:30
p.m. Thursdays; 10 a.m.–noon
Saturdays
Food donation drop-off hours:
Anytime after 7 a.m. Tuesdays,
Thursdays and Saturdays or by
appointment.
Our of Robert B. Our Co., Sassy and
Terrance Richardson of The Farm
in Orleans, Mike Mann of The Tree
Company, Robert and Catherine
Childs of Childs, Inc., Joe McLaughlin
of Pro Fence, Beth Codet of Two
Chicks Diggin’, Larry Hake and his
team from Habitat for Humanity,
Keith Mucha of Crowell Construction,
Richard Grout at Mid-Cape
Home Centers, Stephanie Shea,
Cape Electric, Central
Irrigation, Aggregate
Industries and many
more.
Don and his wife,
Cele, were married
on the Cape 36 years
ago and moved here in
2004 from Connecticut.
Their other three
children are grown and
spread from San Diego
to Portland, Maine. In
addition to the garden
committee, Don chairs
two other pantry committees. One
is a project to reconfigure the warehouse
space for more efficient operation
and the other a committee to
add solar panels to the building. The
renovation, Don says, has been in
the planning for two years. “We have
seen a 30 percent increase in clients
in the past six years; our hope is that
this redesign will last for decades.”
In his spare time, Don, almost
60, is a travel ambassador, taking
high-school students on ski, tennis
or ecology trips. An avid skier
himself, he is a board member of the
PlEASE SEE PanTRy, page 17
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