This year produced a bumper crop of squash, and there were thousands of them sitting in the fields of the Wiegand Farm in Almont with no one to harvest them.
Athletes at Lapeer West answered the challenge, and 143 Lapeer West athletes spent a good part of the day Tuesday collecting the remaining vegetables for donation to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan. The gleaning is part of the high school’s participation in the Channel 12 Spirit Squad which will be at the school Friday for a live broadcast at 5 a.m.
"They're gathering. They're collecting. There's a spirit and excitement about it," West Athletic Director Mary Haslinger told a reporter from WJRT-TV Channel 12.
"You get to be with all your friends and help the poor," added senior Beau Allen."I put out a call to all of my athletes, and 143 of them are here today," Haslinger said.
The 35-acre field was owned by George Wiegand, who died this spring. His daughter Cheryl Wiegand Stanek told the television reporter he would approve of the donation. "I just believe this is a gift from my dad from heaven to feed the poor. He always cared for the poor. He gave so much to the poor."
"Every week we're feeding close to 50,000 to 60,000 people. Right now in the fall, with the harvest, you can make squash soup. There are any number of ways the clients are going to use it. It's nice to have fresh produce," said Tracy Fowler-Johnson from the Food Bank. "We're going to feed a lot of people who couldn't get food anywhere else," senior Jalen Houston told ABC12's Randy Conat.
To view the TV report of the Lapeer West gleaners, go to:
http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=news/local&id=7745806
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