Transition Sarasota to the Rescue!

First, our heartfelt thanks to all who contributed their fruit picked before Hurricane Ian. We partnered with a food pantry that All Faith's was working with for emergency water and food distribution and we donated 385 pounds of avocados and 12 pounds of bananas to those in need.  Our donation made a big impact and demonstrated how important our work is to the community.

Many people were without electricity after the storm and avocados and fruit don’t need to be cooked. Cut one open and you have instant guacamole!  A lot of the food that the pantries receive would require electricity to prepare (think potatoes, rice, canned stew, etc). The food pantry was overjoyed to get something that could be eaten immediately. By rescuing the avocados and bananas, we kept them out of the landfill and provided fresh, healthy, local food to those in need. 

Early one morning, on my way to the food pantry with the last load of avocados, I stopped to get gas. The young man ahead of me looked exhausted and he shared with me that his family was staying with friends in Sarasota, who were without electricity, and driving back and forth to Sarasota each day. Their home was severely damaged and they could not stay there, so they were driving down every day to see what they could salvage. I shared with him about our food rescue programs and mentioned I had a car full of rescued avocados headed for a food pantry. I popped the trunk and invited him to take a few for his family. A big smile came over his face! This small act of reaching out, caring, and providing healthy food was perhaps the bright spot in his difficult day. It is always so gratifying to see our work in action. Thank you to all those who glean, support us, and donate fresh backyard fruit. You make a difference.

Register your fruit tree here: https://www.transitionsrq.org/fruitrescue

If you have questions or a one-time fruit donation, contact Exec@TransitionSRQ.org