ORONO — The University of Maine Cooperative Extension is offering advice for gardeners looking to contribute to their communities by donating extra produce.

Top-quality vegetables are welcome at most food pantries, soup kitchens and homeless shelters. However, UMaine Extension officials suggest gardeners call ahead to find out what types of vegetables are preferred and the best times to donate.

Delivering fresh produce, as well as cleaning and bagging it before delivery, will help ensure it’s used, according to the UMaine Extension publication “A Donor’s Guide to Vegetable Harvest.”

For those looking to donate produce, Frank Wertheim, associate professor with UMaine Extension in York County and director of Maine Harvest for Hunger, recommends vegetables and fruits with longer shelf lives. These include winter squash, potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, onions and apples.

Wertheim said a lot more can be grown and donated depending on timing and the needs of the intended food pantry. He said communicating with the hunger organization to determine its capacity and turnover to recipients is key.

Since 2000, Maine Harvest for Hunger participants have distributed more than 2.197 million pounds of food to residents grappling with hunger. In 2015, record-breaking donations of more than 318,000 pounds of food went to 188 distribution sites and directly to individuals.

FMI: 207-324-2814, [email protected], 207-942-7396, [email protected], www.extension.umaine.edu/harvest-for-hunger, www.extension.umaine.edu/county-offices.