Each year the Claremont Garden Club makes a contribution to a local organization whose work is related to Garden Club goals. This year, the recipient is Uncommon Good.

Since 2011, this Claremont-based group has been growing food locally that exceeds organic standards; no pesticides or other chemicals are used in its production, not even the ones the government allows organic farmers to use.

Uncommon Good’s urban agriculture program began when, together with the low-income families it serves, it formed the Community Alliance for Urban Sustainable Agriculture Program (CAUSA). They then developed a food production program to feed the hungry, provide community education, and supply the local community with the highest quality fruits and vegetables.

CAUSA’s Fiddleneck Farms is a network of 18 urban farm plots in Claremont, Pomona, Ontario and Covina. One is at Temple Beth Israel and another is at Claremont Presbyterian Church.  Others are on public school campuses and private home plots. Dozens more homeowners participate by allowing Uncommon Good to harvest their unused backyard fruit for the program in return for a tax deduction.

Half of the food grown is sold to the community Monday through Saturday at Uncommon Good’s office at 211 W. Foothill Blvd., Claremont. Delivery is available for Claremont residents.

The other half is given away to the families served by Uncommon Good who cannot otherwise afford fresh produce. The farmers are parents of children in the education program who are paid a living wage and benefits by Uncommon Good. The farm plots also serve as real world learning laboratories, both for science subjects and for the development of small business skills.

Uncommon Good will receive money from the Garden Club to build a new display case for their market and some new herb beds. A Boy Scout troop will provide the labor.

For information about the Garden Club, go to claremontgardenclub.org. For information about Uncommon Good and where to buy their produce, go to uncommongood.org/store.