Published: 6/19/2020 2:36:03 PM
Modified: 6/19/2020 2:35:51 PM
Helping families in her legislative district find fresh fruit without having to travel miles to the grocery store became a fun family collaboration for State Rep. Susannah Whipps (I-Athol) and her extended family as they distributed 10,000 pounds of fruit through “pop-up” fruit stands in various town centers over the last eight weeks.
“The idea came to us over dinner one night,” said Whipps in a press release. “We, like many families probably have been, were discussing COVID-19, food insecurity and the stay at home advisory. We considered the reality that many people were doing large shopping trips to cut down on regular visits to the grocery stores, which in many cases for my small towns means traveling several miles. Fresh fruit is not something you can keep for weeks at home, so we decided a nice healthy treat would be the best thing we could offer,” said Whipps
Whipps worked with Julie Davis at Quabbin Harvest Co-op to order fresh fruit through their purveyors. The co-op able to procure the fruit and sell to Whipps at cost, Davis’s husband, Patrick, made weekly deliveries during his lunch breaks from Wheeler and Taylor Insurance to Whipps’ garage. The first fruit stand was set up on a picnic table on the Wendell Town Common. “We set up 40 biodegradable bags with apples, oranges, bananas and a note with contact information, links to the state website and the number to a domestic violence hotline. Our first effort received much interest and appreciation, so we ordered more fruit the following week,” Whipps said.
As the cases of fruit started coming in, additional members of Whipps’ family were happy to help. Her nephew Richard Adams, who lives next door, wife Jen and daughters Ava and Libby all pitched in. Libby, 5, counts boxes of fruit and helps pack bags. Ava, 10, packs bags and keeps a running count of how many pounds of fruit have been delivered and how much goes into each bag depending on the goals for the week.
“This has been a great project for my girls. As we are homeschooling during this pandemic, the girls are working on counting, real world math problems, developing an understanding of nutrition and the importance of helping their community. It’s been fantastic and I’m glad we’re doing this together,” Richard Adams said.
Richard’s twin brother Michael Adams and his husband Joe, along with Joe’s cousin Matt, his wife Mahalia and their son Jeffrey, relocated to Royalston from Brooklyn in early March due to the growing number of cases of COVID 19. They built a fruit stand on their front yard, near Royalston Common and Whipps’ team would drop off cases of fruit on their porch a few times each week. “My family was so happy to work on this project with Aunt Susie. It’s given us purpose during this difficult time and a great sense of community. We love being in Royalston and enjoyed filling bags and hanging them out front for passersby to take” said Michael Adams.
Pop-up Fruit Stands have appeared in Royalston, Petersham, Phillipston, Templeton, Athol, Orange, Warwick and Wendell. Whipps and her team have also delivered cases of fruit to food pantries in Orange, Templeton and Wendell and to Lifepath’s Meals on Wheels Program. Door to door distribution was done at Miller’s Woods River Bend, a 60+ community. As of Saturday, June 13, the project has distributed over 10,400 pounds of fruit. With warmer weather approaching, Whipps and her helpers are going to temporarily cease operations. “We’ll be back in the fall” said Whipps.
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