Fighting For
A More Generous
World.
The idea for Katie’s Krops began with a 9-year-old girl and a 40 pound cabbage. In 2008 Katie brought home a tiny cabbage seedling from school as part of the Bonnie Plants Third Grade Cabbage Program. She tended to her cabbage and cared for it until it grew to an amazing 40 pounds. Knowing her cabbage was special, she donated to a soup kitchen where it helped feed over 275 people. Moved by the experience of seeing how many people could benefit from the donation of fresh produce to soup kitchens, Katie decided to start vegetable gardens and donate the harvest to help feed people in need.
Become A Grower
Katie’s Krops now has 100 gardens growing across the country and has donated thousands and thousands of pounds of fresh produce to people in need. The mission of Katie’s Krops is to empower youth to start and maintain vegetable gardens of all sizes and donate the harvest to help feed people in need, as well as to assist and inspire others to do the same.
600,000lbs+
Fresh Produce Donated
300+
Gardens Planted
Visit Our
Outdoor
Classroom
Join us at Katie’s Krops Outdoor Classroom in our Flagship Garden
at the Crossroads Community Church in Summerville, SC.
Become A
Volunteer Today!
Do you live in the Charleston/Summerville area? We would love for you to volunteer and help us grow a healthy end to hunger. Volunteers of all ages are welcome to help. Be a part of supplying food pantries, homeless shelters, cancer centers, Katie’s Krops Dinners and families in need with fresh produce. Join our volunteer list to be informed of all opportunities to grow an end to hunger.
At yesterdays Katie’s Krops Dinner, we served 740 meals, along with sharing milk, baked goods, vegetables + bread! We did not have to turn a single person away because we had run out of meals. This truly would not have been possible without incredible support from the community and we cannot thank each and every person enough for stepping up to meet the need!
This Friday, we are asking for help to continue meeting the need at our next dinner on June 13th. A $5 donation will provide two hot, healthy, fresh and free meals at our next dinner. Donations can be made via our Venmo: KatiesKrops, through our website (linked in our bio!) and via a check mailed to P.O. Box 1841 Summerville, SC 29484. Thank you for your support in our efforts to end hunger ♥️
May 10
A heartfelt thank you to the Junior Service League of Summerville for hosting such a beautiful Saturday night to support Summerville non-profits. The Derby Party was so much fun and so vital to our efforts. Thank you to all the guests who purchased mint julep cups to benefit Katie’s Krops.
JSL has supported Katie’s Krops since I was in middle school. Their unwavering support has had a tremendous impact on the programs we are able to support for our neighbors.
To all current and past Summerville JSL members, thank you for sharing your time and talents to build a stronger Summerville! Thank you to everyone who supports the JSL with sponsorship and auction items! We are so grateful! #SummervilleStrong @jslsummerville
May 7
Meet the man who changed my life, Dennis Thomas.
Two years before I was born in 1996, Dennis, the President of @bonnieplants created the Bonnie Plants Third Grade Cabbage Program. The Program is a wonderful way to engage children’s interest in agriculture while teaching them not only the basics of gardening but also the importance of our food systems and growing our own. It puts tiny cabbage seedlings in the hands of children, and I was one of those children.
Little did Dennis know that the program he created would forever change my life when I was just nine years old. When I was in the third grade in 2008, my teacher, Karen Every-Andrews, handed me one of those tiny cabbage seedlings grown by the Bonnie Plants Station Manager, Richard Chapman. I took my seedling home, and my brother and I planted it in our backyard. That moment, even though it was so simple, determined the trajectory of my life.
My cabbage grew and grew until it reached 40 pounds! The day I donated my cabbage to Neighbors Together, SC, sent me down a path of gardening and serving that would become Katie’s Krops. .
I am forever grateful to Dennis for his vision and for implementing this program, which showed me, at just nine years old, that I could change the world, one garden, one harvest, one cabbage at a time.
I was so touched that he made the trip to Summerville for Springfest to see the impact he has had on my life and the youth-based non-profit that would not exist today if not for the Bonnie Plants Third Grabe Cabbage Program.
Thank you, Dennis! I am so grateful!
May 5
Before our last Katie’s Krops Dinner, a car pulled up to Summerville Baptist. A woman holding containers of milk in her hands with a huge smile exited the car, turned to me, and asked if I remembered her. Of course, I did!
I often meet people during some of the most challenging times of their lives. This situation was sadly just that case. The woman with milk in hand was a nurse who had been injured on the job. After 43 years of nursing, she was unable to work and had just $2 in her bank account. She had no money for food. I was heartbroken for her, and it was an honor to be able to help her. That night in 2022, when she pulled up to the dinner, we filled her car with food to ensure she would not go hungry.
On the day of our last dinner, she returned to share milk with our dinner guests and to let us know that she was not only doing well but was in such a better place that she was there to give back. My heart was so full and so grateful! This moment truly touched my heart.
Our next Katie’s Krops Dinner is just a little over a week away, and we would love your help providing milk to our dinner guests. Our guests have been overjoyed with the milk you have shared, and you never know how you may be lifting someone during one of the most challenging times of their lives.
Our dinner will be held on Thursday, May 9th. Milk can be dropped off the day of the dinner between noon and 4 pm at Summerville Baptist, 417 Central Avenue, at the rear of the church outside the Fellowship Hall. If you are unable to drop off the day of the dinner and would like to share it in advance, please feel free to message me. We have limited refrigeration space but can accommodate about 20 half gallons. You can sign up using the link in our bio.
I appreciate your kindness!
#milk #givingback #helpingneighbors
May 1
Thank you to everyone who joined us this morning in the garden for Springfest 💛 We love welcoming new faces to the garden and are so grateful for our incredible partner organizations and volunteers for making today so much fun! We’re already looking forward to next year!!!!!
Apr 27
Tomorrow’s the day, we’ll see you at Springfest, starting at 9:30 am in our flagship garden 🌱 Get ready for delicious food, music, fun activities, giveaways and more!!!!
Apr 26
We’ve been busy preparing the garden for Springfest! See you on Saturday for a fun and educational morning in the garden with our partner organizations ♥️ Springfest is free, no tickets are required! The festival begins at 9:30 am and will wrap up at 12:30 pm, at our flagship garden, on the beautiful campus of Crossroads Community Church (505 Gahagan Rd). We’re so excited!
Apr 25
With every Katie’s Krops Dinner we serve, we see the need increase. Our last Katie’s Krops Dinner was especially hard as we turned away countless families. Over 600 meals was simply not enough. We are working hard to ensure our neighbors facing challenging times have the healthy, fresh food they need by increasing the production in our gardens and increasing the number of meals we serve, but we need your help.
1.) Storage Space~ We need a location in Summerville to store food/supplies that will also accommodate refrigeration. We are currently turning down donations due to the need for more storage space and refrigeration. Purchasing protein and other perishables for our dinners in advance has become a significant challenge. We simply have no place to store 250 pounds of chicken, milk, and other non-persiables. These items have to be purchased the day of the dinner, which leads to significant challenges. Storage space that allows refrigeration would be a game changer for us and enable us to feed more people and be more productive.
2.) Funds~ To keep up with the increasing need, we have to raise additional funds. We are launching a campaign to ‘Meet the Need,’ and we are grateful for a donation of any amount. We take great pride in the meals we serve and will never lower our standards. Everyone deserves a fresh, healthy meal served with love, and we hope you can help. Link to donate in our bio.
3.) Extra Large Coolers~ We have been thrilled with the number of community members sharing milk with our dinner guests for the past few dinners. However, we needed two additional extra-large coolers to store the milk during the meal distribution.
4.) Milk~ Keep the milk coming! Thank you to everyone who has been sharing milk. This is a wonderful way to get your friends and co-workers involved. Our next dinner is on May 9th, and you can sign up to share milk using this link- https://www.signupgenius.com/.../409054DA5AE29A6FE3...
Apr 23
Happy Springfest Week!!!!! We’ll see you THIS Saturday in our flagship garden from 9:30 am- 12:30 pm for Katie’s Krops Springfest 🌱💛🌸 This FREE event is one you don’t want to miss, there is something for everyone! Enjoy interactive and educational activities for all ages, youth led garden tours, music, a delicious food truck & sweet treats, plus a special unveiling in Monarch Meadows at 11 am 🦋 We can’t wait to welcome you to the garden on the beautiful campus of Crossroads Community Church, 505 Gahagan Rd. in Summerville!
Apr 22
Kale yeah, Springfest is almost here! We’re busy getting the garden ready for our favorite event of the year 💚 See you on April 27th from 9:30 am- 12:30 pm at our flagship garden!
Apr 17
It is Katie’s Krops Dinner Week!
Join us on Thursday, April 18th, for our free Katie’s Krops Dinner at Summerville Baptist Church. Dinner service will start early this week. We will kick off our to-go dinner service at 4 pm. Our meals are served drive-thru style. We’d like to ask for your safety and ours that you stay in your cars and follow the directions of our traffic volunteers.
This week’s menu: chicken and rice, tossed green salad, cornbread, homemade desserts, and more.
There is never a charge for our dinners, and you do not need to reserve meals. We will prepare 650+ meals to share.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who is helping to make this dinner possible, especially Just Eat This, the culinary students at Fort Dorchester High School, Chef Ryan, our young dinner volunteers, those who have signed up to share milk, and everyone at Bethany United Methodist Church for sharing desserts. And to our partners at Summerville Baptist Church, thank you, thank you, thank you! #gardentotable #volunteer #servicetoothers #youthservice @just_eat_this @fortdorchesterhighschool
Apr 15
Springfest 2024! Join us on Saturday, April 27th for a fun filled morning in the garden with our community partners. There will be hands on activities, youth lead garden tours, @jmacs.cbm food truck, and giveaways. Learn about our efforts in our gardens, outdoor classroom, to save the endangered Monarch butterfly and our dinner. Expert Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer all your gardening questions. There is something for everyone. We hope you will join us as we open our garden to the public. #springfest #summervillesc #festival #gardening
Apr 13
Thank you @spokeworksbicycleworkshop + @trooperbob_sc for getting us in gear with bike safety! We had so much fun practicing our new safety skills on the garden course 🚴♂️
••
Keep and eye out for our next bike safety class and come see our friends at @spokeworksbicycleworkshop at Springfest on April 27th!
Apr 12
Starting the weekend off by sharing our heartfelt harvest with our friends at @chascolibrary for their Free & Fresh Produce Fridges! 🌤️♥️🌱🍅 #RootedinLove #AHeartfeltHarvest
Apr 5
Spreading the roots of love with our @bonnieplants seedlings! We can’t wait to see the heartfelt harvest that come from these tiny seedlings 🌱🍅💛🫑 #heartfeltharvest #springplanting
Mar 29
When COVID-19 hit, our Katie’s Krops Dinner guests who were ill in quarantine and in dire need of help reached out, asking for our assistance. We contacted our volunteers, who stepped up to deliver meals and quickly learned that the need for delivery reached far beyond those sick with COVID.
In a community without public transportation, a car breakdown can cut off access to basic needs, and illness can isolate someone living independently. There are so many reasons someone cannot attend our dinners in person. Our team of delivery drivers is a blessing to so many of our neighbors.
Yesterday, fifteen teams fanned out across our community, routed in love and sharing meals. 300 dinners were delivered to 46 addresses and to our local homeless encampments and shleters. You never realize how expansive Summerville is until you start mapping meal deliveries.
To our wonderful delivery volunteers, thank you! You are what makes Katie’s Krops so special, and we are so grateful for your kindness. #volunteer #delivery #caringforothers
Mar 23
It’s officially spring and we couldn’t be more excited!! Our amazing young volunteers harvested some of the last of our fall crops, including delicious @bonnieplants kale + celery! This heartfelt harvest went to our Katie’s Krops Dinner and helped make a garden fresh and tasty salad for our guests 💚💚
Mar 22
We are so blessed to partner with our friends at @magnoliafamdental , for every new patient they donate to Katie’s Krops to support our efforts to end hunger in our community ♥️ This week their amazing team came to the garden and worked side by side with us to prepare our garden for spring planting! We are so excited to share that they will be joining us at Springfest on April 27th, with a fun activity for all ages (+ information if you need a new dentist who supports a great cause 😉). Thank you for your kindness and support, we love our friends at Magnolia Family Dental!
Mar 15
From our garden to yours, here’s to the amazing girls and women dedicated to ending hunger in their communities! We are so proud to have so many incredible girls as a part of our Katie’s Krops Growing Family, growing a healthy end to hunger, one vegetable garden at a time🩷 Happy International Women’s Day to all the wonderful women out there changing the world! #internationalwomensday
Mar 8
We are very excited to welcome our new 2024 Katie’s Krops Growers who will join kids all across the country who are growing a heartfelt harvest. We have Growers that have now been growing with us for 13 years. In the coming months we will we will share their stories, their harvests and the impact they are having on hunger and food insecurity in their communities. Thank you @parkseedco for making all of this possible. katieskrops #gardeningforgood #heartfeltharvest
Mar 7
