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Editorial Notebook: Seniors in need of gleaners
Published 12:00 am PST Friday, February 15, 2008
Story appeared in EDITORIALS section, Page B6
Regular readers of this page know that I like to wax rhapsodic about persimmons, figs, strawberries, Meyer lemons and other fruits that thrive in the Central Valley's luxuriant soils and climate.
Not only do I relish sampling these seasonal wonders, I enjoy growing them, harvesting them and giving them away.
For the last three years, I've volunteered for Senior Gleaners, a local food bank that collects 20 million pounds of surplus produce and groceries each year and donates it to local charities.
Although I'm not yet at the official Senior Gleaner age of 50, the group welcomes the fruit I glean, and the experience has enriched my network of friends and neighbors who need help with their overloaded trees.
Every year around this time, for instance, I get a call from Trudy Ziebell, a retired state worker who is lucky enough to own a mature Meyer lemon tree. Ziebell contacted me in early 2006, after I wrote a notebook about Meyer lemons.
"You are welcome to come and pick lemons!" Ziebell wrote in her e-mail. "I must get close to 1,000 every year."
Meyer lemons, for the uninitiated, are the artistes of the lemon world. They are thin-skinned, remarkably sweet and juicy, with a fragrant yellow-orange peel.
It brings real satisfaction to fill up a half- dozen boxes with these beauteous fruits. Plus, it's fun to spend a winter's day up in the tree, catching up with friendly folks such as Ziebell and others with produce to donate.
Sadly, it seems, this neighborly tradition of gleaning is withering on the vine. Over the last year, Senior Gleaners has lost members due to internal disputes (a big blowup over volunteers taking home too many groceries) and basic demographics.
Cleo Downs, a feisty 76 year old who has long organized the Gleaners' picking at local orchards, says he is contending with a shortage of volunteers.
"We need able-bodied 50-year-olds who can climb ladders," says Downs. "We've got more fruit ripe for donation than we have people to pick it."
Interested in gleaning? Or serving in some other capacity? You can reach the Senior Gleaners at (916) 925-3240. It's a fine way to develop friends, feed the hungry and make good use of the Valley's amazing bounty.
– Stuart Leavenworth sleavenworth@sacbee.com
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