Sen. Blakespear to Co-Host Gleaning Event with ProduceGood on July 8
Volunteers should sign up to join effort to harvest fruit for food insecure families
ENCINITAS, Calif. – Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, will join with ProduceGood and volunteers to glean fruit at a local orchard on July 8 for the food insecure of the San Diego region. Gleaning saves produce from going bad or being sent to landfills and helps us better manage our natural resources and provide food where it is needed.
The fruit picking will take place at an orchard in Rancho Santa Fe from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. During this special event, Blakespear and volunteers will harvest hundreds of pounds of oranges with ProduceGood to be donated to Feeding San Diego.
To participate, volunteers must visit the ProduceGood website to sign up. People of all ages are welcome. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.
“When I first heard about gleaning, I was incredibly excited about pairing volunteers picking fruit with the community benefit of donating food and avoiding waste,” Blakespear said. “Picking fruit is a deeply satisfying activity, and I hope many volunteers join us.”
“I am proud to join ProduceGood in its mission to find sustainable solutions to alleviate hunger, reclaim and repurpose waste and promote the health and well-being of all,” Blakespear added. “As we continue to address rising food insecurity across our region, it is important to build a sustainable food system that gives families access to healthy food.”
Details below.
DETAILS
Who: Senator Catherine Blakespear, local hunger-relief non-profits Feeding San Diego and ProduceGood
What: Collaboration between government and non-profits to address food insecurity. More than 330,000 people face hunger throughout San Diego County. Since 2012, ProduceGood has provided almost 300,000 pounds of fresh citrus and avocados to Feeding San Diego, in addition to diverting over 700 TONS of perfectly edible produce from the landfill.
When: Saturday, July 8, 2023 (9 a.m. – 11 a.m.)
Where: Private orchard in Rancho Santa Fe with over 150 Valencia orange trees. (The location and instructions about logistics will be provided via email to those who register to volunteer.)
Sign Up: Visit the ProduceGood website to register. There are only 32 slots available, so sign up right away. Choose the box that says “I am interested in CropSwap-backyard gleaning.” If you have questions, contact Fernando Hernandez at Fernando.A.Hernandez@sen.ca.gov
Media: Media interested in covering the event should email Andrew.LaMar@sen.ca.gov.
Elected in November, Blakespear represents Senate District 38, which covers central and northern coastal San Diego County and parts of inland South Orange County. To learn more, visit Sen. Blakespear’s website.
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