June 6-7, 2009

Saturday 6~~~~ We got up early and Kent headed to Portland again to go to his Grandsons ballgames and I headed to Eugene to see my daughter and her family and to help them with the "Lane County Food Bank" gardens that all Albertson's store employees in Eugene donate one day a year to get all the garden plots harvested, cleaned,fertilized and ready to plant a new crop for their food bank of fresh produce. This food is sent to many food banks in Lane County to feed large groups of people, like the homeless shelters and soup kitchens and such. It doesn't go to individual families to take home and use, as their would be a lot of waste with people not using the food to it full advantage. This place was over whelming to me as it was so large and so many different things growing and being harvested and replanted everyday. There is one paid employee who has the tremendous job of getting all this done by just volunteer people like us from Albertson's. She put us in groups working all over the huge property, some were weeders of new plots, some harvesters of food to be picked and put in the big boxes that stores receive produce in, The young girls put together the many boxes we filled with fresh produce, some prepared new plots by hauling wheel barrows full of decayed leaves from the leaf storage pile then hauling compost to the plot, finishing up with fertilizer and all the nutrients the soil needed to keep it rich for the many different crops that would repeatedly be grown this summer. As soon as we finished our job in a plot, we moved to another plot to do the same thing and another crew came and did their job. There was no wasted time as what to do or when you just kept on going from field to field. Everyone worked, even the little children, they carried the trimmings of the lettuce that was harvested today and any other jobs that were small and many. I weeded and then I ran a wheel barrell the rest of the day hauling the various things they needed to the many gardens. Albertson's store directors all donated food and cold drinks for all the volunteers from each of their stores. Some people had to go to work at their store after they worked for hours at the food bank garden. Mike, my son-in law one of the store directors, did the grilling of the burgers and hot dogs with my assistance. What a rewarding day it was, knowing how much food our helping hands would help feed so many people. You should check to see if there is one near you to vouunteer in once in awhile, they need all the help they can get and you sure feel good at the end of the day.