By Daniel Hamon
Since 1982, volunteers have been coming to Gleanings for the Hungry in Dinuba, CA to play an active role in feeding the poor and needy of the world. Most of these volunteers, about 1,200 during the summer months, are high school students who pay $85 to spend a week working at a fruit line where peaches and nectarines are sorted, cut, dried and then loaded into trucks to be shipped to feed the world's hungry people.
Kim, a good friend of mine, just spent time there with her children. She says the work is hard but the sense of purpose and accomplishment is much greater - that's probably why there is a two-year wait to volunteer for this project.
The peaches and nectarines are donated by packers and, even though most of the fruit is in good condition, buyers will not accept it because it doesn't meet the size or other superficial requirements of supermarkets and other customers.
In addition to processing fruit, Gleanings for the Hungry also mixes vegetable soup and repackages bulk donations into smaller bundles for easier distribution by its ministries in needy nations. A local almond grower, for example, donates 10% of his harvest.
According to their July newsletter, 45,000 pounds of soup mix and dried fruit were recently distributed in Nicaragua, feeding more than 2,000 people.
Photo - RegardingAmerica.com
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