www.BountifulBaskets.org
Okay, I know I sent info about this a while ago, but since the UT sites are growing and extending to other areas I thought I’d send it again.
A little personal info about this. This has been truly a huge blessing in our family. As times and money are very tight we have been able to keep fresh fruits and veggies on our tables at prices we can afford. These are more often than not, things our family would be going without due to costs but we can have due to the co-op. This is not a profit or non-profit company. This is a co-op. It is run by volunteers and is how the costs are kept at rates we can all afford. I volunteer to run a site so we can have one close to our house. To run a site, I get periodic e-mails of things that are important to note, I also print out reports and submit the reports at the end of each cycle. Each week at distribution I am the first one there and the last to leave. What basically happens is I show up 5:45 Sat morning (this is the time the delivery truck arrives in my neighborhood park). I set out baskets to distribute all the produce into while the truck guys unload the produce. At our site we do this on a half basketball court, but it varies at each site as to what works for that site. Other volunteers arrive by 6:15 to help distribute the produce. I have printed up a list of what we are getting and how much each basket should get to divide it out as evenly as possible. I supervise the distribution of the produce until all that can be divided evenly has been. After that all the volunteers pick an item or two of those things that couldn’t be distributed as evenly. After that we go one at a time through the baskets adding one item to each basket until we have run out of items. So one basket may have one more apple and another a banana, but it’s basically the same and as even as we can get it. Then the volunteers sign for their baskets and any extra items, like cherries or bread etc. A few volunteers stay to supervise the collection of baskets as each participant who has ordered online shows up to pick up there baskets. Each participant takes the produce from their basket and moves it into whatever they bring to transport it home and the baskets are left for next time so there is something to distribute into. When all the baskets are picked up I go home and send in a report online of how everything went and I’m done for the next couple weeks, except to enjoy the produce. If for some reason someone forgets to pick up their baskets it is donated to the local Fire station. So, last cycle in my basket I came home with:
7 brae burn apples, 6 bananas, 2 clamshell of strawberries, 2 heads cauliflower, 2 stalks celery, 1 1/2 lbs of cherries, 4 lb tub of grapes, 2 1/2 lbs green beans, 10 pluot plums, 3 Italian squash, and 9 Roma tomatoes. All this for only about 15.00. You can’t beat that price.
You don’t sign up and automatically get it. You have to go on each cycle (every other week) and sign up again for that week. That way you only order when you want it.
What’s the catch you ask? The only big catches are you have to pick up right at time the site says as nothing is held. And you don’t get to choose what you get. You will get a good variety, but you don’t get to hand pick what your family likes. Also, there is limited amount of space at each pick up site, so you may see a site on webpage, but not on ordering page, that site is full and to check back for next cycle if one of the other ones aren’t close enough to you.
So, I just wanted to share as I think it is a wonderful opportunity and can be a great blessing in your life as it is in mine. If it’s not in your area yet, keep checking. It’s constantly expanding to new areas. It doesn’t work for everyone, but for our family it’s wonderful. By the way, I don’t get anything for this, there is no profit to be made, I honestly am just sharing it because I like it.
If you have questions feel free to call or e-mail me. If you want it for this weekend it has to be signed up for by 10:00pm tonight.
PS for those of you locals, I run the week A for Recker/Ray!
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