With harvest time finally here, months of planning and hard work are paying off for members of the Zachary Men's Club and Chapter 5432 of the Zachary AARP. The two organizations began a joint garden project in May. With the help of club members and a group of Zachary High students, fresh vegetables are already being donated to the Zachary Food Pantry.

The garden is located on a 13-acre plot of land owned by the Zachary Men’s Club. It is 150 feet wide and 160 feet long and contains crops like broccoli, cabbage, turnips, mustards, collards, okra and peas.

"Our idea is to have fresh vegetables for people who can't afford to go out and purchase them," said Men’s Club President Floyd Pelichet. "It's something to have people eat healthy."

If more vegetables are produced than needed for Food Pantry donation, members of the two clubs and people in the community not served by the food pantry are welcome to gather the excess.

Vegetables are gathered for the Food Pantry every Monday and distributed on Tuesdays. In order to make sure that an adequate supply is available for the Food Pantry, members of the clubs and community are asked to gather only what is needed Tuesdays through Thursdays.