Can you imagine having a corn beef on rye sandwich or your favorite burger served with a three pound pickle? There are many stories of why we receive certain food donations. The typical ones may be that an item is close to its expiration date or there is a packaging mistake, etc. However, we thought we would share the story behind the giant cucumber.
A local farm was harvesting cucumbers and having to dump tons of them. We asked why!? The farmer has a contract with a major pickle brand and some of the cucumbers didn’t meet the manufacturer’s specifications. They were either too big, too small or oddly shaped. As a result, there was no market for them and they needed to be dumped…until we stepped up and offered to “rescue” them and find them welcoming homes in Central Florida. We have been able to collect millions of pounds of fresh produce over the past year; food that would have gone to waste. This is the most nutritious food we can distribute and is in high demand. It can be expensive to eat healthy. If you were a single working mom and had to feed a family, how would you stretch your limited budget? Mac n’ cheese vs. a pint of blueberries don’t come close to comparing in price. A Washington State university studied the cost of healthy calories vs. junk food calories. For 1,000 calories of less nutritious foods cost $1.72. On the other hand, 1,000 calories of super-nutritious food was $18.16.
If you are looking for a volunteer opportunity, come on by, we’ll put you to work packing produce. You never know, it could be fresh corn, cukes, squash, potatoes or any one of the 270-some commodities grown in this bountiful State. Florida farmers are the best!
Dave Krepcho
President/CEO
3 thoughts on “A Three Pound Pickle?!”
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DAVE CAN YOU IMAGINE JUST BECAUSE OF THE HEALTHY CHOICES THAT YOU MADE HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT THAT IS FOR THE COMMUNITIES THAT YOU SERVE.GREAT JOB MY FRIEND KEEP MARCHING BY THE BEAT OF SUSTAINING HEALTY BODIES
Robert, thanks for all you do. We’re planning on getting even more of the healthy foods coming. Take care. Dave
We highly appreciate all the hard work you and your staff do to bring food and other services into our community especially to our senior community here at The Plymouth. During our Paper Plate Campaign we received feedback from our residents about how your food program have impacted their lives and the input they provided re-affirms the need for these services, especially for our vulnerable seniors and economically disadvantage communities. Some expressed the fact that now they can afford a full prescription of much needed medications, other say they can now eat more than one meal a day, others say that now they can eat fruits and fresh vegetables which they could not afford to buy, etc, etc. Here at the Plymouth we are very lucky to be part of your web of kindness as a partner agency…Thank you on behalf of all our seniors at the Plymouth for your compassion and the amazing work you do!