It has been an unseasonably warm autumn in the northeast and apples were still hanging from the trees during the first week of November. In a normal year, that would have been too late to pick apples, according to Lewis Barnard, owner of Barnard's Orchard in Unionville, PA. The first frost, however, was expected to come soon, and the window to harvest the fruit was closing. Anything that was still left on the trees when the temperature dropped would, more than likely, go to waste.
Stacey Louderback of Wayne Moving & Storage, an Atlas Van Lines agent, knows that gleaning, the act of collecting excess fresh food for those in need, is a wonderful way to fight hunger and reduce food waste. Louderback first started gleaning as a Girl Scout and over the years she has inspired friends, family, and coworkers to join her. It's become something of an annual tradition for Louderback and her colleagues at Wayne Moving & Storage. Last year, they were able to rescue 1,300 lbs. of fresh apples.
On November 4, Wayne Moving & Storage once again headed out to the farm to save as many apples as they could. Mr. Barnard allowed the team to pick directly from his trees, which made the process much easier. In just 2 hours, they were able to rescue more than 1,800 lbs. of apples!
Wayne Moving & Storage delivered all of them to the West Chester Food Cupboard, which provides assistance to approximately 600 local households every month. Food pantries don't always receive such large donations of fresh produce, but they are ecstatic when they do because of the nutritional benefits fruits and vegetables provide.
Forty-percent of the food produced in the United States each year is wasted. Meanwhile, 42 million Americans are food insecure. Thank you to Wayne Moving & Storage for helping to change these statistics!
Learn more about food waste in the United States and what you can do to help.
