— from Pegi Groundwater —
August is peak harvest time and this year our orchards and gardens are groaning with vines and trees laden with fruit and produce. Many of us are faced with more food and vegetables than we can eat or process. The Orcas Master Gardeners remind you that in the midst of this plenty there are many people on our island who do not have access to fresh produce and frequently do not have enough to eat.
This is where you come in. You can help by sharing some of your garden produce with them.
The food bank welcomes donations of food from your gardens and orchards on Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons. Please rinse your produce off before you bring it in. If no one is there when you drop your food off, there is a donation box buy the door where you can drop things off.
Are you unable to pick your produce and bring it in? The Orcas Gleaners group has been formed to fill the gap between people with surplus and the hungry. We are a small group of volunteers who will bring our ladders, buckets and tools to pick your produce, wash it and deliver it to organizations on the island that help people who need food assistance like the Food Bank, Kaleidoscope, the Senior Center and the Farm to Cafeteria program.
We are also looking for more volunteers to help us with the harvest. If you have food to be harvested or want to volunteer to help, call Pegi Groundwater at 376-3957.
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