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Instead of leaving all those zucchinis on the doorstep of an unsuspecting neighbor, how about helping someone who rarely has fresh produce on the dinner table.

Bank of Utah is asking local gardeners to drop off their extra fruits and vegetables in boxes provided at two bank branches in Ogden on Sunday nights or early Monday mornings before 9.

Volunteers from Catholic Community Services, in turn, will pick up the donations Monday morning and take them to the Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank in Ogden. The donations will be distributed to senior citizens and the 400 families who come to the food bank through the rest of the week.

"We know there are lots of fresh vegetables out there that homeowners have grown," said Scott H. Parkinson, Bank of Utah's senior vice president and a volunteer. "We want to make it easier for them to contribute."

This summer, volunteers from Bank of Utah, Boys and Girls Clubs and the Mount Benedict Monastery have been tending three vegetable gardens in Ogden. They now are harvesting squash, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables -- but more produce is needed to meet the needs of northern Utah families and seniors.

Senior citizens are most likely to have diets lacking in fresh fruits and vegetables because they are less mobile or they live on a fixed income, supporters say.

"Fresh produce is a rare commodity at the food bank," said Marcie Valdez, director of Northern Utah Catholic Community Services. "We have a lot of canned and dry food, but we see very little fresh fruits and vegetables."

The "Sow for Humanity" garden at the monastery uses Mel Bartholomew's innovative square-foot gardening technique, which requires less water and uses no fertilizers or pesticides. Yields from produce raised in 4-foot, partitioned, rectangular wood boxes, is greater than with traditional row gardens.

Sister Danile Knight, prioress of Mount Benedict Monastery, donated the monastery's land and water for the garden -- and blessed the plot.

Bank of Utah was a sponsor with financial support for materials as well as volunteers. Wheelwright Lumber donated the lumber and local nurseries provided the plants. In addition, Black Island farms in Syracuse donated produce and gardener Alan Kap of West Haven brought in three truckloads of watermelons.

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