August 21, 2009

Albany couple David and Carol Anderer in this morning's Oregonian:

"Today we helped harvest the pear tree from two good neighbors and we had much more than we needed.

Letting the pears go to waste when so many people are struggling financially just didn't seem right. We sent out an e-mail to friends, family and neighbors and asked that those who wanted some free pears to let us know. That got us to thinking about all the fruit and vegetables that get wasted locally because people just don't remember to reach out and offer to others what they can't use. It does take a little

extra effort to reach out and share, but that extra effort is what helps create a living and breathing healthy local community.

There is currently a movement for people to "buy local" which is a good idea. We would suggest we also create a movement to "share local."

I bet the total of all the extra fruit and vegetables wasted each year from small gardens and residential fruit trees in Oregon amounts to tons. By sharing what we will not use ourselves, we can spread the wealth locally and help everyone."