ELKHART — When the Seed to Feed program started, there were only two people and an idea. Now the group has 40 members and 70 acres of land. Dave Hochstetler is the coordinator for the Seed to Feed program, which is trying to grow fresh produce for Church Community Services, an Elkhart food pantry. The group held its first harvest on Tuesday with volunteers coming out to help pick.

The garden is one acre, full of peppers, onions, corn, bell peppers, tomatoes and green beans. They have 70 acres of land total, with some acres full of crops they can sell and use the proceeds to buy produce at auction.

While the program only extends to Church Community Services, its organizers hope to expand it so they can help all of the 30-plus pantries in the Elkhart County area

The Future Farmers of America chapters for both NorthWood and Fairfield high schools have also become involved in the project. A few students from the two groups came out to Tuesday’s harvest.

Director of Food Services Mary Kneller came out on Tuesday to pick vegetables. Since CCS feeds about 2,500 families a month, it would take a large project to be able to feed all of them fresh vegetables.

“This is self-sustaining,” she said. “It’s exciting.”

The group started last winter and planted the seeds in late May and will continue harvesting throughout the summer and will be looking for people to help. They are also looking for other people to donate land they can use for gardening.

Kneller said she didn’t know what to expect when they first started the program. Right now the group has 70 acres and hope to grow that number until they have enough land to be able to feed all the hungry families in the area.

“It’s Elkhart County taking care of Elkhart County,” she said.

Some of the issues that are facing CCS right now are slow donations in the summer and a lack of nutritional food. By having a sustainable garden, they will be able to provide balanced meals to their clients. While Kneller said she knows that other pantries around the country have gardens, she doesn’t know if they’re on the same scale as the Seed to Feed program.

They hope to have enough produce to be able to last through the winter. Right now they’re looking to get freezer space for all the produce they’ll have.

“You know, this is a start, and it’s a good start,” Hochstetler said.

Everything they have — from the seeds to fuel for the tractors — has been donated. Hochstetler said that’s because people want to help, but they want to know where their help is going and that it’s staying local.

The problem with things like food drives, Hochstetler said, is that they can only raise food for a limited amount of time. This project will help the pantries support themselves when donations are low.

The group will have a booth at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair and will be passing out information for people who are interested in participating in the program or donating their services.

If you would like to learn more about the program or want to volunteer, call Mary Kneller at 612-0688 or Dave Hochstetler at 349-4905. For information on Church Community Services, call 295-3673 or go to www.churchcommunityservices.org. The pantry is at 907 Oakland Ave., Elkhart.