Charity Idea Catches On Fast

Charity Idea Catches On Fast MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 34-5-5 Anna Chan is waging a one-woman crusade against hunger, thanks to a simple idea she came up with to get fresh fruits and vegetables to local food shelves. In 2009 Chan started asking neighbors for permission to harvest unpicked fruit from trees in local backyards. She then donated the produce. "I collected more than 2,000 lbs. of fruit the first 30 days I started picking," says Chan, who lives in Contra Costa County in California. In all, she harvested 8 tons of produce, which would otherwise have gone to waste, during her first year. She hauled it all to local food shelves, who were thrilled because they rarely receive fresh produce. This year Chan has been working about 30 hours a week on the project. She says one idea that helped her get started was printing up a flyer with her name, address and an explanation of what she was doing. Another idea she had this year that's paying off is collecting unsold produce at local farmers' markets. Chan's idea is catching on fast in California and other parts of the country as people hear about the idea. She also writes about her efforts at her blog, www.thelemonlady.blogspot.com.

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