A group of volunteers who tend to a charity vegetable garden that supplies fresh produce to food banks and soup kitchens in Brampton says people helping themselves to unharvested stock is a problem.

The outdoor garden, located at the Flower City Senior Centre, is entirely volunteer-run and provides a wide variety of vegetables throughout the growing season to seven food banks and two soup kitchens in Canada’s ninth-largest city.

“I came in here Sunday at noon hour to change the water and there was a guy over here picking the lettuce," said lead volunteer and organizer Gwen Fawthrop, adding volunteers having to chase away thieves is a common occurrence. “We’ve even had whole tomato plants and pepper plants stolen this year.”

The garden is mostly unattended throughout the season and there is no security available to guard the roughly 100x100-foot plot, attended by mostly hobby gardeners looking for a couple hours of weekly activity and socializing while helping-out people in need.

Because it’s a charity garden, entirely dependent on volunteers and donations, hiring private security is not an option. The group has little choice but to trust in the honour system and the knowledge that most people are decent and wouldn’t steal food destined for soup kitchens and food banks.

According to Fawthrop, they used to have access to temporary construction fencing to discourage both hungry critters and human raiders. While the fencing was somewhat effective at keeping rabbits out, she said it did little to discourage people.

“They just lifted them up and came in and dug up whole squares of carrots and what have you,” she said, adding theft has been a problem since the group first started nine years ago at its first location on Mississauga Road.

The garden was relocated once more before moving to its current location at the senior centre six years ago, but the thieving has persisted.

** Editor's Note: This article was updated Aug. 23 at 6:09 p.m. to correct the spelling of Gwen Fawthrop. Commenting on this story has been disabled as of Wednesday, Aug. 20 at 9:21 a.m. due to violations of the terms of use.