(Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of the Senate Republican Communications Office)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) Penn State Master Gardeners, the PA Vegetable Growers Association, and volunteers gathered in Harrisburg on Thursday to begin planting for this season’s Capitol Hunger Garden.

Guests including Elder Vogel Jr. and Emily Kinkead celebrated the start of the garden’s 16th season.

Vogel and Kinkead serve as co-chairs of the Legislative Hunger Caucus, which advocates for solutions to food insecurity affecting residents across all 67 Pennsylvania counties. Officials said the Hunger Garden reflects the caucus’ commitment to supporting those in need in the Harrisburg area.

Last year, the garden produced a record 1,192 pounds of produce and herbs, benefiting Downtown Daily Bread and the people it serves.

The Pennsylvania Department of General Services, the PA Vegetable Growers Association, Penn State Master Gardeners, and local volunteers help maintain the garden each season.