Man Rescues 2.4 Million Pounds of Wasting Crops for Food Banks
George Ahearn, a resident of Washington state, set out on a goodwill mission amid the coronavirus outbreak to help food insecure people. When he learned farmers were giving away potatoes and onions they weren’t able to sell due to the pandemic, he stepped in to rescue what would have been spoiled crops and started delivering them to food banks. Ahearn posted on Facebook in search of borrowing a trailer or truck for a day to deliver the produce. Much to his surprise, 2 trailers and 4 trucks showed up to assist in hauling the restaurant-quality produce to feed hungry people both “east and west.” His act of kindness has now become a movement which led to the formation of EastWest Food Rescue, a non-profit organization, which has not only saved over 2.4 million pounds of produce thus far, it is also raising money to help compensate farmers who have been financially devastated by the pandemic’s impact.
Ann Sullivan is a contributing staff writer covering national and world news topics. She brings dedicated experience having written international and domestic news, blogs, and web content for over 20 years. She’s also a published poet and graphic designer with degrees in Business and Graphic Communications and has been a music distributor, music industry sponsorship sales director and band manager.