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By: Erin Smith
The loss of a crop by one Bladen County farmer turned into a blessing for many individuals in four counties he will never meet. Paul Skinner of Dublin donated a field of watermelons to the Society of St. Andrew and they arrived on Wednesday morning to glean the field.
Michael Binger serves as the Society of Andrew’s Director of the North and South Carolina Gleaning Network. He said, “The farmer was gracious to let us have everything in this field.”
He explained that Skinner contacted the Fayetteville office of the Society of St. Andrew on Tuesday and gave them the authorization to glean the field. Volunteers responded immediately and arrangements were made to work the field on Wednesday morning.
Binger said the Society of St. Andrew works with farmers when they have produce they can’t sell. “We have volunteers that go out and glean what’s in the field and they take it back to their organizations.” There were representatives from various groups located in Cumberland, Duplin, Bladen and Wayne counties.
“We are hoping to get as much as 250,000 pounds of watermelons, if we get everything,” said Binger.
He said the Society of St. Andrew accepts donations of all types of crops including watermelons, corn, sweet potatoes, and other crops. Binger said some farmers will allow volunteers to glean the fields as Skinner did and other farmers will harvest the crop for the volunteers and then donate it. Binger said the Society of St. Andrew expects to harvest 5 million pounds of produce this year.
One of the volunteers, Rev. James Field, who serves as pastor of Sperring Memorial Baptist Church in Fayetteville, said of the Society, “We’re a blessing to a bunch of people, especially the elderly.” Field said he has been volunteering with the Society of St. Andrew for a number of years. Fields said each October there is a pastors’ anniversary celebration and as part of the event, they glean sweet potatoes.
Paul Skinner said he had donated a field about five years ago. He explained he learned about the Society of St Augustine through his participation in the Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers program.
Skinner explained that the watermelons in the field were not considered to be marketable; but they are fine to eat. “The market is really picky about what they will buy,” said Skinner.
He said the Bladen County Farm Service Administration has been working with him to allow the field to be gleaned. “They are trying to work with us and let us do this,” said Skinner. “If somebody can use it, let them use it. I’m trying not to waste it.”
“You put your heart into the crop and then lose it,” said Skinner with his voice trailing off.
Volunteer Steven Schaeffer said the farmers harvest what they want from the field and then the volunteers will come in and gather what is left. Schaeffer said the beneficiaries tend to be food banks, homeless shelters, fire stations, soup kitchens, and the elderly.
“It’s a blessing because you don’t have to buy it and you are getting it straight from the field,” said Schaeffer.
Schaeffer’s role on Wednesday was to keep up with the count of how many watermelons were harvested and he will submit the count to Trisha Lounsberry who will credit the farmer with the harvest.
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