Growing apples to feed hungry people

Church members work together toward a world without hunger

October 20, 2015 | Web First
Canadian Foodgrains Bank
Petitcodiac, New Brunswick

You don’t have to be a grain farmer to support the Canadian Foodgrains Bank through a growing project. And you don’t even need to be a farmer, as members of Petitcodiac Mennonite Church in New Brunswick have once again shown.

Each fall, church members take advantage of the province’s abundance of apples and turn them into a growing project.

This year, they produced 190 two-litre jugs of apple cider that will be sold at a local farmer’s market, with the proceeds donated to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

The apples are from land being rented by a church member for hay. Several years ago, that church member asked the land owner for permission for the church to use the apples, and he happily agreed.

On October 8, the group gathered to pick apples to make the cider.

“It was a rainy evening, but the rain didn’t dampen people’s spirits as tarps were laid down under the trees, and the apples were gathered,” says Linda Bunnet, one of the project coordinators.

“We were wet from the rain, but we picked 20 plus bushels of apples, and looked forward to the cider pressing the next night,” says Bunnett.

The next night, 26 church members gathered to make the cider.

“It was an assembly line of apple sorting, operating the apple chopper, pressing the apples, carrying the buckets of cider to the straining tank , straining the cider, and filling the jugs,” says Bunnett.

It’s a demanding task—but, as Bunnett says, “many hands make light work and we stopped for a supper break before we went back at it, finishing at 8 p.m.”

“It was two enjoyable evenings, working together for a common goal, to help make a world without hunger,” she says.

“This Thanksgiving we are thankful for God’s beauty and abundance, and that we can work together to share that!”

See also: “Apple project benefits the hungry.”

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