Volunteers glean a rhubarb crop.

Fred Robbecke, a volunteer with “Senior Scene,” knows that with summer gardening comes summer overabundance.  You’ve heard about places that lock their cars only during the summer because people don’t want other people’s excess zucchini?  That’s what Robbecke thinks about in the spring of the year when everyone is so gung ho about planting.  Last year, Robbecke’s son was injured and unable to harvest his garden and all that waste frustrated him.  There is a solution though.  It’s called the Gleaning Project and it’s run by Emergency Food Network (EFN).

The Gleaning Project is a collaborative effort to rescue local produce waste and to get it to people who need it the most, said Emily Boston.  Boston is the Gleaning Coordinator with EFN and she spends her time trying to convince folks to do something about the amount of food that never gets eaten.  Some estimates suggest that in the U.S. somewhere between 20 to 50 percent of commercially-grown food is thrown away each year.  There’s no estimate of how much home grown food receives the same treatment.

So the result is a multi-prong approach to taking that food that would have ended up in landfills and “capturing it” to feed food bank clients.

Boston encourages fruit tree owners to register their trees.   “We’re looking for healthy fruit trees in the backyards of people who can’t harvest or can’t eat all of their harvest.”  When owners notify the gleaners that the fruit is ripe, a group of volunteers harvest the trees and leave the owners 20 percent of the harvest and the rest goes to a food bank or shelter in the area.  Last year, the volunteers “captured” 30,000 pounds of fresh fruit in this manner.  EFN doesn’t physically get the fruit.  It goes directly to a food bank in what Boston called “tree to table.”  Owners can register their trees online at www.piercecountygleaningproject.org or by calling (253) 584-1040.  Some examples of fruit trees they’ve harvested in the past include apples, grapes, kiwi, pears, figs and lots of plums.  They don’t harvest berries because they require too much time.

“In addition to harvesting fruit, we also harvest farmers markets and encourage gardeners to plant an extra row,” said Boston.  To find the closest food bank, suggestions for harvesting and ideas about what kinds of produce the food banks are able to accept, go to www.piercecountygleaningproject.org and click on Where To Donate.

EFN also does farm gleans.  Boston connects with farmers and when they have an abundance of produce they contact her to send out volunteers.  Volunteers consistently go every Friday to EFN’s Mother Earth Farm in Orting but crops usually don’t become ready with any kind of consistency.  It’s more normal to suddenly need volunteers such as a recent glean when someone called to say they had a lot of peas.  To sign up to volunteer as a gleaner, email Boston at Emily@efoodnet.org.

Eric Dobner, activities director at Narrows Glen, rides a stationary bike to earn money for the Alzheimer’s Association Walk.

The rest of the country is sweltering but this is Tacoma on a July morning so you know it’s cold. Cold enough that the residents of Narrows Glen and Laurel House that brave the cold do so for only brief periods of time usually to drop a bill in a jar or to give Eric Dobner, the activities director at Laurel House some advice or offer treats. No one wants to spray him with one of the two soaker guns he has sitting in a bucket of water because no one wants to make him catch a chill despite the fact that after an hour of riding his stationary bike, Dobner would welcome the opportunity to cool off if even just a bit.

This is the second year Dobner and his team from Narrows Glen have raised money for the Alzheimer’s Association by selling opportunities to soak him with what surely must be a quart of water wrapped up in the colorful plastic shell of a water gun.  Last year, the team raised $1600.  This year’s goal is $2000.   Dobner said he got the idea from someone that does something similar at Safeco Field all the time.  “It took me about a year to suggest it to my team,” he said.  Last year he was training for the Seattle to Portland (STP) and so the long ride (8:30 to 3 p.m.) was just more training on top of the 22 miles he rides to work a couple times a week.  But the weather was even stormier last year so that he had to ride while holding down the canopy set up over his stationary bike.  This year, it’s just cold but only if you are just standing around.  Under the canopy, Dobner and the rest of the team hold their morning roundup and while talking about what’s for lunch, staffing, and getting ready for a new resident, Dobner sheds his lightweight jacket and breaks open his first energy drink and hopes someone will come along willing to shell out the $40 to soak him.

Peter Adams
For Senior Scene

As we prepare for the upcoming 2012 Walk to End Alzheimer’s, scheduled for Sept. 8 at Thea’s Park on the Tacoma waterfront, The Tacoma Rainiers and the Alzheimer’s Association (Western and Central WA chapter) are joining forces to celebrate the sounds, sights and tastes of summer while helping fundraise for a great cause.   Wednesday, Aug. 22 at 7 p.m., the Rainiers will be hosting the Las Vegas 51’s in an epic battle for the ages.  The night has also be designated as Alzheimer’s Association night, where for just $15 baseball fans get a reserved seat, hot dog, chips and a soda with proceeds going to the Alzheimer’s Association.   Join up with other supporters of the Alzheimer’s cause and kick back with great baseball in the beautiful Cheney Stadium.   Call either Justine Stevens with the Association (206-529-3878) or Peter Adams with Cascade Park (253-318-9857) for more info or vouchers.
NOTE:  Vouchers need to be purchased through either the Association or a Walk Committee member for proceeds to go to the Association.  Tickets purchased directly from the Rainiers will not benefit the Alzheimer’s cause.

The Alzheimer’s Caregiver Conference will be held on Sept. 19 at University Place Presbyterian Church, 8101 27th St W from 8:30 to 4 p.m.  This annual free conference provides the family caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s an entire day’s worth of speakers, complimentary respite, breakfast and lunch as they learn about taking care of themselves and their loved ones.

Connie Thompson from the KOMO News Team will be the keynote speaker.  Thompson and her sister provide the care for her mother in their mother’s struggle with dementia.  The conference will also feature Dr. Doug Wornell, Geriatric Psychiatrist and author of “Wandering Explorers: Practical Dementia for Families and Caregivers.”  Wornell will talk about challenging behaviors.  A service provider panel will offer information on a wide variety of community resources.

Participants must register in advance at (253) 798-8787.  Registration begins Aug. 1.  For more information about the conference, call the Pierce County Aging & Disability Resource Center at (253) 798-4600.

The caregiver conference is sponsored by Health Care Providers Council of Pierce County (HCPC) along with Weatherly Inn, Advanced Health Care, Franke Tobey Jones, Peoples Retirement Community and Rehmke & Flynn.  HCPC is a non-profit organization that promotes the highes standards of service, care and well-being for older and disabled adults.  Members represent various organizations committed to providing exceptional services to seniors in our community.