This new video by a local film student features a few volunteers from SoCal Harvest.

If you are local to the Greater Long Beach area, and if you don’t want backyard fruit to go to waste, SoCal Harvest has a team of volunteers that will come out, pick any fruit within reach of picking poles and small ladders, and box it all up for Food Finders to pass out to local food pantries.  Homeowners can even get a receipt for the donation for a tax write off.  For more information about the program, donate, or to volunteer, visit SoCal Harvest’s Website.  There are many other similar groups around the county that do community gleaning projects.

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Last February, my son was assigned a school community service project, as part of a health class, in which he was to spend a few hours volunteering with a health related organization.  He decided tagging along with me to a couple of SoCal Harvests would be a good way to do it.  The cool thing about the assignment was he finished his mandatory hours more than 9 months ago, but he still volunteers whenever he can.  Although he just got some great grades for the end of the semester and could be spending his day playing video games or what ever he wanted, he said he is coming with me this morning.  I think part of the reason J does it is he enjoys being able to work outside, for just an hour or two on Saturday mornings, and then he gets to see the results for his effort almost instantly, like in the picture of the truck filled with fruit seen below.

 

I pray the following is the other part of the reason J continues to volunteer:

The Lord portrayed the day of judgment, with all the nations gathered before him, separated into “sheep” and “goats.” To the “sheep” he says, “Come you blessed of my Father, for I was hungry and you gave me food…” In their astonishment they ask, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food?…”  And He answers, “Truly I tell you, Just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:31-46)

Either way, I am glad J continues to volunteer.  I sure was blessed with a good kid.

Although I had posted about Food Finders and SoCal Harvest once before, Food Finders  has recently changed locations, so I felt it necessary to update their information here:

Food Finders is now located at  2301 E 28th St #303  Signal Hill, CA 90755.   (562) 598-3003