2,800 Pounds of Watermelons

By Maureen McNair
​Feeding San Diego recently gifted our food pantry with over 2,800 pounds of watermelons. Our pantry clients were thrilled to receive such a classic summer fruit. 
Our volunteers worked too hard for words! I am calling out Steve Gelb here, with gratitude. Steve rode his bike from Mission Valley to Chula Vista, lifted many melons, then rode his bike back home!

When we saw “watermelons” on the delivery slip, we all imagined those nice, round five pound seedless wonders. That is not what we received. 
We got huge cardboard totes of 22 pound melons. Many even heavier.  
The only way to get them inside was to hand carry each melon through the doorway. But, first, our volunteers had to unload a whole tote of melons so they could bring the huge, empty box inside so there was a container big enough to hold them. 
All told, our volunteers lifted over 8,000 pounds of food that day. Another group of volunteers carried all back outside the next day to distribute.  
Top on our wish list is a new location with doorways wide enough we can use a lift to just roll the whole pallet of produce, container and all, inside. Let a machine do the lifting! 
Meanwhile, we continue to provide food for a steady stream of clients every week. Your ongoing contributions makes all these labors of love possible. Thank you in advance for your generosity.