 | | | Volunteers hard at work on Aug. 19 picking pears for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. Photo Vera Kochan | | | | | | Originally scheduled a week earlier, but postponed because the fruit wasn't quite ready for harvesting, the Aug. 19 Pear Harvest had pears literally falling off the tree without any help from the pickers. What a difference a week makes!
The annual community event, co-sponsored by the Moraga Park Foundation and the Kiwanis Club of Moraga Valley, took place on properties owned by the Moraga School District (next to Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School) and Saint Monica Catholic Church, stated MPF's man-in-charge, John Burgess. Thanks to the heavy winter rains, the pear trees were loaded with fruit meant to be delivered to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano.
Several community groups were on hand between 8:30 a.m. and early afternoon to volunteer their services, including scouting troops, church groups, the National Charity League and Teens and Parents Volunteer Services (TAPS). An impressive amount of Moraga residents came, many with their children, who worked just as hard as the adults did.
Posted at the check-in table were pear-picking rules for rookies or anyone who needed a refresher course from last year, like how to properly pick pears and warning folks not to climb the trees. The pears picked at the event will be stored at the Contra Costa and Solano Counties Food Bank for a week or more before being distributed to families. |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA