SENIORS SEEK HELP TO HARVEST FRUIT FOR HUNGRY SAN DIEGANS

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Hundreds of trees await picking during prime season to avoid waste

By Monte Turner, Senior Gleaners board member

Photo:  cc via Bing

March 26, 2022 (San Diego) - A group of seniors picking surplus fruit throughout the county needs help immediately to prevent fruit on hundreds of trees from going to waste.

“We have more requests for picking citrus trees than our current volunteer crews of seniors can handle,” said Margaret Burton, board president of Senior Gleaners of San Diego County. “We need help to get the food to hungry families now before it falls off the trees and rots or gets put into the garbage,” she said.

Burton listed several reasons that volunteers ages 55 and over have joined the group, such as getting outdoors, making new friends, keeping active, preventing food waste and giving back to their community.

The group also needs people with vehicles that can haul several filled banana boxes of fruit in their own vehicle. Most deliveries are within 10 miles of the picking site.

To learn more about the group and to register as a volunteer, visit www.seniorgleanerssdco.org or call 619-633-9180.

Most gleaners volunteer 3-4 hours one day per week, but there are no required minimum commitments. Volunteers join crews working near where they live. Some volunteers form small groups that work independently and set their own schedule.


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