I caught up with Anna Chan, known as the Lemon Lady for a little volunteering and a walk through of the Walnut Creek Farmers Market (Behind Target off of Main and Ygnacio).
Over the next 45 minutes Anna greeted many of the farmers came from as far away as Fresno to sell their fresh produce. She exchanged news of her write-up in the San Francisco Chronicle that featured the markets that Anna has been visiting.
Anna’s passion is to help feed the hungry in our midst.
The issue of hunger in our community is commonly overlooked. The faces of the people are not some grainy image from Ethiopia or Pacific islands, but that of our neighbors.
Anna also followed up on the stories of people behind the mounds of vegetables. One had a wife recovering from a heart aliment, another is looking to expand a satellite farm. The gathering of donations is a delicate dance of interpersonal relations and follow up that reflects the great respect Anna has for the major efforts the people in the booths go through to put on the market.
Many of the farmers are barely breaking even on the produce and other products that they sell, but they still have a heart for those in need. Anna asks each if they will have anything for food pantries and then drops off her own waxed cartons (which cost about $4 each retail) that are the collection points for the pick up crews.
Today the pick up was for the Salvation Army and the Share Food pantry in Concord. Share Food has seen the need for food doubling over the last 12 months and famously ran out of food during a heavy demand week in September. The Salvation Army came with a pickup truck and would filled it. Early in the summer harvest, The Salvation Army had filled 4 such truckloads all from Anna’s efforts.
