Mercy grows veggies for food pantries

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. But what if it’s an apple from a doctor?

At Mercy Medical Center, a vegetable garden provides for local food pantries.

“In honor of the tireless efforts of our hospital’s founding Congregation for more than 100 years, Mercy planted the ‘Sisters of the Infant Jesus Garden,’” said Ron Steimel, executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Mercy Medical Center. “Inspired by the Sisters’ extraordinary legacy, our dedicated Mercy family grows vegetables to be shared with our local food pantries in the community.”

Hospital employees from Mercy’s Plant Engineering and Environmental Services departments started the garden last summer. Robert Witcomb Landscape Gardening donated the soil and grass cuttings.

Cared for by employees in the hospital’s Plant Engineering and Environmental Services departments, the garden grows peppers, tomatoes, kale, lettuce, fennel, zucchini, radishes and two different kinds of eggplants. The hospital gives these vegetables to local food pantries at St. Agnes Cathedral, the Hispanic Brotherhood and St. Martha’s Catholic Church in Uniondale.

“Putting the baskets together to bring over to the pantries has been a real source of delight for our staff,” said Sister Mary Alice Aschenbach, the vice president of pastoral care department.

Next year Mercy hopes to make the garden larger and start planting earlier to grow more vegetables and bring them to more food pantries. “Anything you do with what is created naturally from the earth, and which can be shared with others, contributes to our well-being, happiness and purpose,” said Aschenbach. “We are doing what Pope Francis has called for us to do.”