Fruit from yards could help hungry

Thank you to the T.O. Acorn for publishing the article about Manna, a food bank right here in Thousand Oaks. I didn't even know it existed.

I'm a resident of Thousand Oaks, and owner of two lime trees, an orange tree and a lemon tree. Each season that we receive fruit, there is always abundance, and we end up putting a wagon in front of our house asking people to take our free fruit. Usually the fruit isn't taken because everyone else in our neighborhood also has fruit trees.

As I drive around Thousand Oaks, I see an overabundance of fruit trees in yards, where fruit is dropping out onto the street and rotting on sidewalks. Each time I think to myself, "what a waste."

After our last wagon of limes remained full, I started to think about food donation. I began to research through city of Thousand Oaks' website and I saw that there is such a thing as food rescue (as opposed to nonperishable food donation).

Why can't the city of Thousand Oaks hold citywide donation drop-off weekends, just like they do with electronic recycling and hazardous waste recycling?

I know for a fact that there's a lot of fruit- - and possibly other foods- - to be donated because I see it go to waste on every block I drive by. I realize that there might be an issue with spoiled foods being accidentally donated, but the Bill Emerson "good Samaritan food donation act" protects citizens from that.

The success of any community only happens where everyone lends a helping hand, and Thousand Oaks is no exception.

It's so sad to know that right here we have a food bank that doesn't have enough food to give to our neighbors who desperately need it, and here I am amongst many other residents, just throwing it away. Cindy Morrow Thousand Oaks