© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Mo. prison program donates 163 tons of produce

vegetables
Martin Cathrae
/
Flickr

A Missouri prison program has donated a record 163 tons of fresh fruit and vegetables to food pantries, shelters, churches, nursing homes and schools this year.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that the Missouri Department of Corrections announced the yearly distribution total Friday. The donation from the Restorative Justice Garden program shattered last year's 117-ton record.

The Northeast Missouri Correctional Center in Bowling Green was the department's top producer this year with more than 62,000 pounds of produce donated. The Boonville Correctional Center donated the second-largest amount of produce with more than 49,100 pounds.

Department officials said the program operates without the assistance of tax dollars. All of the seeds and plants for the gardens are donated to the institutions. In return, all the produce grown is donated.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.
Related Content