The local food bank has a program called Backyard Bounty, wherein volunteers go around to the various neighborhoods gathering the excess and unwanted fruits for the needy in our community. Before this program was organized, there was a lot of waste occurring in this area. The owners of the trees picked what they desired, and generally left the rest to rot and regenerate into next years harvest. Thankfully, a concerned citizen noticed this wasteful trend and decided to take action. He asked individuals for permission to glean their extra fruits, with favorable responses. This program now gathers thousands of pounds of fruit each year for the food bank. It is amazing.
Yesterday was my first day volunteering with the program. I had the good fortune of helping to glean persimmons from a large orchard in the hills. Participating in the harvest was a fun experience. It took me back to the days of old when I used to pick fruit with my grandmother. Being able to actively contribute to my community feels great, and I look forward to other harvesting opportunities.
1 comment:
Super cool. Let me know when you go again, I've read about this program and would love to lend a hand sometime. -Cato
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