DO GOODER

Man Moves 8 Million Lbs of Produce from Farms to Food Banks toHelp Hungry Neighbors

While bigcities have been hit hard by COVID-19, the pandemic has affected farmingcommunities, too, disrupting the supply chain and causing the value of crops todecline. When George Ahearn heard a rumor circulating in his hometown ofOthello, Washington, that farmers were planning on destroying harvestedproduce, he came up with a smart solution.

George knew there were plenty of people in need — even more than usual due tothe pandemic. So George started EastWest Food Rescue and put out a call onsocial media asking for help. Soon dozens of volunteers were helping Georgeprocess excess produce for food banks. In its first week of operation alone,EastWest Food Rescue moved more than 60 tons of produce across the state!

That was only the beginning. In the weeks since, George's charity has donatedalmost 8 million pounds of produce to food banks while compensating farmers.George's advice to anyone looking to make a difference? Simple. "Justfigure out what you are passionate about and what you could get involved in."

‍