As South Coast residents found out, it takes a village to feed the hungry.

Thirty-five volunteers of all ages gathered on May 21 at the Dartmouth YMCA to harvest the season’s crops and plant new ones for the summer. Sponsored by the Lions Clubs of Dartmouth, New Bedford, Mattapoisett, and Fairhaven, this event is the first in, hopefully, many more, said Lions Club zone chair Don Bamberger.

“We wanted to do something together because this is where we all live,” Bamberger said. “We wanted to create an activity that would be good for the community and also all ages.”

The Sharing the Harvest Community Farm was created in 2006 to “reduce hunger, create volunteer stewardship and increase agricultural education.” Since its inception, the almost four-acre farm has donated 350,000 pounds of produce to food pantries and soup kitchens on the South Coast.

Throughout the year, the farm depends on drop-in hours where volunteers come at their own leisure and provide whatever the farm needs. Though the facility receives a consistent stream of volunteers, this event went a long way to speed things up.

AmeriCorps member and YMCA farm education coordinator Emily Secour spent the morning directing volunteers, prepping seedlings, and collecting baskets of harvested vegetables. Under Secour’s supervision, volunteers harvested several baskets of lettuce, asparagus and arugula and planted hundreds of scallion, beets, and Swiss chard seedlings.

Dartmouth resident Nancy Jordan was excited to participate for the first time. With a passion for gardening, Jordan arrived bright and early to do her part.

“I’ve wanted to do this for a while so I said ‘That’s it. This year I’m coming,’” Jordan said.

The Congregational Church of South Dartmouth made an impressive showing, with participants from ages 6 to 87. Though some of the younger children became distracted by a game of munchkin soccer, dozens of congregants lent their time planting seedlings and harvesting vegetables.

“There’s a long tradition of the church doing this year after year,” said Pastor Douglas Stivison.

Though the morning was filled with manual labor, Pierre Bernier, a member of the Lions Clubs of Mattapoisett, found the work to be “very easy.”

“It’s good to feel the earth,” he said. “You have to do this once in a while.”

Bernier, armed with a long, wooden rod with a tapered point, was tasked with creating rows upon rows of holes where the seedling would be planted. Though monotonous, his job was an important one. Eight other volunteers trailed him in the vegetable beds, filling the holes with seedlings.

Bamberger hopes that this won’t be a one-time event and that, over the years, more and more attendees of different ages will begin participating.

“It’s a beginning,” Bamberger said of the event. “It’s a great day and a great start.”