Backyard Fruit Picking for the Food Bank

Since the current economic slump, food banks have been hard hit with demand, so many people that used to be able to pay their bills just fine are having a difficult time. Even here on Maui there are those in need of a little help with putting food on the table. Volunteers from a new Maui non-profit called "Waste Not, Want Not" are picking fruit from backyard trees all over Maui and donating it to senior citizens and others in need of food assistance. This kind of an effort is perfect for North Shore Maui areas including Haiku homes in particular, where fruit grows everywhere whether you like it or not!

What a brilliantly obvious idea! Who doesn't have fruit trees in their backyard on Maui? Richard Yust, the executive director of the Maui Food Bank is pretty happy about the whole thing, especially considering that as he said, "Fresh fruit and vegetables play a vital role in proper nutrition, and having a balanced diet is the key to one's overall well-being. We are always looking to bring in new sources of food, and Waste Not Want Not is a great addition."

The founders are Suzanne Freitas, former member of the Maui Planning Commission and her brother James Mylenek Sr. The pair of them came up with the idea when bringing their own backyard fruit to the Hale Mahaolu senior citizens housing complex. They call it "fruit cycling". With a pickup truck and five volunteers, they managed to gather 153 lbs of fruit on new years eve. They collected 360lbs the day before.

Do you have fruit growing in your backyard? There are plenty of Paia homes with fruit trees and many bountiful homes in Kula as well. To learn more about "Waste Not, Want Not," become a volunteer, donate fruit or make a contribution to support the program, visit the Web site waste-not-want-not.org or call 874-8038.

Times may be hard for you, but lets not forget that you can still ease someone else's struggling, and with so little effort. Just something to think about.

If you have any North Shore real estate questions, please let us know! We're waiting to help you. You can contact us at info@jimsandersrealty.com, or by calling (808) 579-8255 to reach us at the office. Mahalo for reading this week!