Volunteers Needed to Pick Fruit, Veggies for Local Food Bank

A couple of volunteers picked and packed more than 200 pounds of apples, 11 pounds of peaches and nearly 40 pounds of tomatoes today to feed the needy.

City public works employee Becky Davies and volunteers Julie Rose and Joanne Anderson spent the better part of the morning harvesting produce at the public Crow Canyon Demonstration Gardens for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano.

The annual organic harvest feeds several families who often can't afford fresh fruits and vegetables, Davies said. Normally, what one gets from the food bank comes in a can or a box, so the fresh donations, she noted, are a welcome addition.

The three women today packed a few different varieties of apples neatly into several boxes, labeled them and loaded them up on a golf cart for the food bank workers to pick up. It was the second week of harvesting for the crew, though today brought a smaller number of helpers.

"School started, so we lost a few high schoolers," said Davies. "We're always looking for more volunteers."

In addition to helping the poor, picking produce is a nice way to enjoy the outdoors, said Anderson, a financial analyst-turned-dog-walker and volunteer.

"It's such a lovely garden," she said, taking a break from watering. "So it's fun to make it more beautiful."

• Davies and other vounteers will meet again Tuesday morning to harvest more food. Anyone is welcome to help out. For information, call Paul Simpson, head of public works for San Ramon, at 973-2888.