fruit

Fruit for Seniors

So I’ve been volunteering at the Gainesville Senior Center for the past couple months. I knew it would be fun because I always love talking with old people but what I didn’t know was how depressing it would be. Not depressing in the way you may be thinking but depressing in the omg we should do better for our senior citizens way.

They play bingo on a daily basis and it’s fun! The prizes are pretty depressing. Sometimes the prizes are left overs from the food pantry delivery and it’s always something little like canned peaches. These seniors get as excited about a can of peaches as the characters in The Road or the Walking Dead do. That’s all good for fiction but it’s pretty sad to see in real life.

I happen to know of a particular establishment that received a grant to give out fresh fruits and vegetables to people at their place. Sadly, many of the people don’t eat the fruits and vegetables. So what does this establishment do with the food? They throw it in the trash. Employees can’t take it home even if they want to. Everything left over must go in the trash.

Well I don’t like this rule very much so I figured out a way to sneak the uneaten veggies out of said establishment. Yep. Could get in a lot of trouble for this because you know it’s supposed to go in the garbage.

What have I been doing with the fruit? I take it to the Senior Center and give it to them. They give out fresh fruit as bingo prizes. I got so emotional the first time that I cried. They were so happy! 75,85, 90 year old people holding a piece of fresh fruit in their hands like it’s a piece of gold. There’s no telling when the lsat time they actually had fresh fruit was. Most of these people only depend on Meals on Wheels and the Food Pantry and the only fruit they ever get from them is canned and packed in syrup. Fresh fruit! They were so happy some of them were truly giddy.

Have some fresh fruit sitting around your house that you know you won’t actually eat before it goes bad? Get on the internet and find your local Senior Center. They’ll love you for it.

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