Sorting fruit for Foodshare
Today, I had the pleasure of working with the youth group from my church to sort fruit at the Hartford Regional Market, on behalf of Foodshare. Foodshare is my favorite charity and I am glad to be able to help out.
Here is how it works. Wholesalers at the Hartford Regional Market donate produce to Foodshare, in large boxes, by the pallet load. Volunteers then inspect each item and discard the perished items while repacking the good items. The good items are then distributed through Foodshare's efficient distribution channel.
Let me describe the setting this morning: The sorting table is a 6 x 4 foot stainless table at waist height. A volunteer empties a box of produce onto the sorting table, and cries of "gross!!", "eeuuwww!!" and "Uhhgg!!" are utterred by the younger volunteers as moldy and squishy oranges are emptied onto the sorting table.
About 5% of the produce is perished. In a box of fresh oranges, perhaps two or three oranges are rotten, moldy or split open. The rest of the box contains perfect oranges. Our helping hands inspect each orange on the sorting table and put six oranges into a bag, which is then placed onto a fresh pallet, ready for distribution.
If it were not for Foodshare, then the 95% of good, edible produce would be wasted because it is not cost efficient for retailers to sort through it. Instead, because of Foodshare and willing volunteers, our team sorted about 1,800 pounds of produce this morning, in two hours.
The whole operation is simply outstanding and a win/win/win/win situation, which is why Foodshare is my favorite charity.
The producer's win, because the produce goes to good use. The wholesalers get a tax credit on produce that is not cost-effective to sell. Foodshare wins by receiving packaged, inspected produce, for no cost of acquisition. Volunteers win by being able to do their good deeds for the day, while building bonds with like-minded people in the community.
All the way around, I am proud to be part of the Wapping Community Church and Foodshare.
Here is how it works. Wholesalers at the Hartford Regional Market donate produce to Foodshare, in large boxes, by the pallet load. Volunteers then inspect each item and discard the perished items while repacking the good items. The good items are then distributed through Foodshare's efficient distribution channel.
Let me describe the setting this morning: The sorting table is a 6 x 4 foot stainless table at waist height. A volunteer empties a box of produce onto the sorting table, and cries of "gross!!", "eeuuwww!!" and "Uhhgg!!" are utterred by the younger volunteers as moldy and squishy oranges are emptied onto the sorting table.
About 5% of the produce is perished. In a box of fresh oranges, perhaps two or three oranges are rotten, moldy or split open. The rest of the box contains perfect oranges. Our helping hands inspect each orange on the sorting table and put six oranges into a bag, which is then placed onto a fresh pallet, ready for distribution.
If it were not for Foodshare, then the 95% of good, edible produce would be wasted because it is not cost efficient for retailers to sort through it. Instead, because of Foodshare and willing volunteers, our team sorted about 1,800 pounds of produce this morning, in two hours.
The whole operation is simply outstanding and a win/win/win/win situation, which is why Foodshare is my favorite charity.
The producer's win, because the produce goes to good use. The wholesalers get a tax credit on produce that is not cost-effective to sell. Foodshare wins by receiving packaged, inspected produce, for no cost of acquisition. Volunteers win by being able to do their good deeds for the day, while building bonds with like-minded people in the community.
All the way around, I am proud to be part of the Wapping Community Church and Foodshare.
Labels: Foodshare
posted by Wayne Botha @ 2:58 PM
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