NPR’s Marketplace covered a sweet story out of Southern California, where Rick Nahmias organizes volunteers to pick thousands of oranges that are then donated to local food shelters.
Like Asiya Wadud’s Forage Oakland project in Northern California, Nahmias started by asking neighbors if he could pick unused fruit from their trees. Most were happy to comply — fewer rotting fruits on the ground meant fewer coyotes in the neighborhood. Nahmias organized volunteers to come with him, and now the group can harvest and donate an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 pounds of oranges within a few weeks.
And the donations are welcome: People are flooding food banks, using the donated food to bolster limited portions at home or supply their only meal of the day. At a Los Angeles food pantry cited in the story, demand jumped 40 percent over the course of a year. It’s a similar story across the country: Jewish food pantries in New York City reported 20 to 40 percent increases in demand this Passover season. United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg ran out of food and handed out vouchers to needy families.
There’s good news in New York: Two farms donated over half a million eggs to the Food Bank for New York City. Hopefully they’ll be distributed before the Easter bunny drops by on Sunday.
