HOLLAND, Mich. – It is blueberry season in West Michigan and several area farms are busy with customers who come to pick their own buckets of fresh fruit.
And some people are not even picking for themselves.
They are participating in the Pick for Pantries Program. At a pair of Ottawa County farms, customers can fill a bucket and donate the berries to area food pantries.
Fresh fruit is not usually available at food pantries and clients trying to feed a family might not splurge on blueberries.
“It is not a staple that you would normally get for a lot of people in lower income,” says Tom Parker, field manager at Bowerman’s Blueberries in Holland. “It is a way to give them an opportunity to try it and taste them. There are a lot of people, believe it or not, who have not even had a blueberry. Don’t even know how great it is and don’t even know what they are missing.”
Bowerman Blueberries in Holland and Crossroads Blueberries in West Olive are the two participating farms in Ottawa county.
The next opportunity to pick for pantries at both locations is next Thursday.
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