Out of the trash, onto the table
Andrew Glazer
Surplus vegetables from the farmers market that growers would normally
toss into the garbage are now being tossed into salads for the county’s
hungry.
Two weeks ago, seven of the approximately 40 farmers selling fruits and
vegetables at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa began giving
boxes of their leftover produce to the Second Harvest Food Bank.
On Thursday, 20 farmers donated about 550 pounds of their extra apples,
lettuce, avocados, strawberries, spinach, squash, broccoli and
cauliflower.
The Orange-based food bank is the county’s largest. It distributes food,
usually in cans, to 340 soup kitchens and shelters across the county.
Food collected by Second Harvest serves approximately 185,000 people each
month, according to the food bank’s records.
“It’s really nice for them to get some fresh produce, since most of what
they get is canned,” said Gayle Cory, a manager of the Orange County Farm
Bureau who helped organize the food drive. “Farmers have a reputation for
being selfish. But ours have been incredibly giving and willing to help
out.”
The Farm Bureau gives farmers a $4 voucher for each box of food they
donate. Farmers can use the vouchers to help pay rent for their stands at
the Fairgrounds.
“It’s for a good cause,” said Enrique Garcia, a farmer from Bali Hai
Ranch in Oceanside. “It’s a way of helping the community.”
Garcia said he donates about two boxes of fresh spinach and broccoli to
the food bank each Thursday.
Kevin McFarland, a farmer from Leslie Farms in Oceanside, said all the
food he donates is fresh, but not always beautiful.
“People are used to perfect-looking vegetables,” he said. “Instead of
dropping the price so people buy our not-so-pretty vegetables, we figured
it would be much easier to donate.”
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