Looking for fruitful pickers

Sarah Kelzenberg

As we have done for the past nine years, the Sun Lakes Citrus Sharers will be picking surplus fruit in all Sun Lakes communities from January 30-Febrary 29. The fruit is donated to St. Mary’s Food Bank. Because of an invasive bug, we were worried that they wouldn’t let us donate, but, because of our history of sending only the finest fruit, we have been given the go ahead.

Last year we were not able to keep up the homeowners’ demand, so we are looking for more volunteers to help pick. If you like to be outdoors and you like to laugh, this group is for you! We pick two mornings a week, Saturdays and Mondays, from 8:15-11:45. If you can commit to both or one of those mornings, please contact Roxy Banta at 480-899-5696 or [email protected]. Please give her your name, email address, phone number, and the day(s) of the week that you can pick. Last year we donated over 50 tons of fruit. The fruit is brought to “Citrus Central” homeowners’ garages, where the Food Bank picks it up each week. Thanks to George and Christy Thomas and Jim and Arlene Thrower for housing the fruit for these five weeks.

We will have our 2016 Kickoff Koffee in the Navajo Room at the SLCC Country Club on Saturday, January 23 at 10:00 a.m. If you would like to pick, please put that date on your calendar and be there! If you signed up at an open house this fall, you will be contacted to confirm. We are hoping to have a good turnout of last year’s and new volunteers at the kickoff.

We pick in teams, and that means we need team captains. If you have volunteered with us before and would like to step up to this level, please let us know before the kickoff by calling Sarah at 480-263-9495. We will have a brief meeting after the Kickoff Koffee for captains.

Homeowners, if you were on our 2015 picking schedule, you will be getting an email or call from one of our captains during January or February, giving you a date for being picked in 2016. If we have never picked at your house before, you can contact Linda Everett at 480-895-8325 or [email protected]. You will be placed on a waiting list. Please know that we can only pick as many trees as we have volunteers to help pick.

Hope to see lots of volunteers at the January 23 Kickoff Koffee at the Navajo Room at Sun Lakes Country Club at 10:00 a.m.!