Do you love to be out in the San Diego sunshine, among friendly people and fragrant fruit trees? Do you hate to see delicious, nutritious fruit just lying there on the ground, beginning to rot? Do you, perhaps, own fruit trees in your backyard and struggle to give the abundant harvest away? Would you like to help some hungry people?
If you’re looking for a fun opportunity to volunteer and make a positive change in the lives of San Diegans, read on! Some fantastic ladies whom I met at EarthFair need your help! They’re the Glean Queens!
The Glean Queens have undertaken a very important project. It’s called CropSwap. The perfectly named CropSwap (part of their organization ProduceGood) solves a huge problem. The problem of tragically wasted food–locally grown fruit, to be exact.
Sunny Southern California is thick with citrus and other fruit trees. Many residents have them on their property. Many of the established trees provide more fruit than a family can possibly use. Why should the excess become useless garbage?
According to the USDA, a whopping 40% of crops go to waste. And here’s another shocking statistic: 20% of San Diegans have difficulty getting enough food to eat.
CropSwap coordinates fruit tree owners and volunteer pickers, and arranges the collection of excess fruit that would otherwise be wasted. The fruit is then delivered to San Diego food banks. An excellent (and common sense) idea!
So all you fruit tree owners and future volunteer pickers in and around San Diego! Click here to visit the ProduceGood website and learn how you can personally help, in a very tangible and rewarding way, to fight hunger!
Spread the word!
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Going to reblog this one on my walk with me blog. I pass so many trees on my walks, laden with fruit just sitting there.
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When I was younger we had a half dozen or so citrus trees behind a wall and it was sad how some fruit would finally just drop off and go to waste!
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Reblogged this on Walk with me
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What a great group! Thanks for posting information about the Glean Queens! I remember reading about organizations like this more than 10 years ago before we moved back home to San Diego. I am hitting their site right now to sign up to volunteer. I can pick fruit with the best of them…. all I can do on my own property is kill citrus trees! Sigh… And while I’m at it, did you tour the Earth Fair from the north end and head south? We parked at the City College lot and started on the south end and worked our way up- you seem to have found ALL the type of vendors, organizations and booths that I was looking for! Oh well, next year I will stay longer and try to see the entire fair. Wish me luck!
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I crossed the Cabrillo Bridge from Sixth Avenue and strolled down El Prado, then headed down past the Organ Pavilion and the Hall of Champions! I passed City College on my way home!
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Maybe they should approach the San Diego zoo. When we were there there were figs everywhere just rotting. It hurt me because we pay a lot for fresh figs out here in the northeast.
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Sounds like a good idea!
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