Nearly 40,000 pounds of locally grown produce will be donated to help families in Texas following the historic winter storms.
Beachside Farms, based in Guadalupe, is sending nearly 1,200 boxes of broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and romaine hearts to the Central Texas Food Bank in Austin, Texas.
The partners in the company, Steve Adlesh and John Maulhardt, said they wanted to help after watching the devastation unfold in southern states hit hardest by the winter storms.
“There's a lot of food insecurity in that state right now. If you tack the pandemic on, people are nervous about where they are going to get their next meal,” Adlesh said. “We have an abundance of crops here right now so it's really just a small token to say, 'Hey guys, we hope you get back on your feet.'"
Beachside Produce in Guadalupe is donating 40,000 lbs of fresh vegetables to the Central Texas Food Bank to help feed millions after devastating winter storms. I got a BTS look at how they are getting locally grown produce to Texas tables. @KSBY pic.twitter.com/YB8cIDOHqL
— Megan Healy (@MeganHealyTV) February 23, 2021
The vegetables picked in the field Monday morning are being packaged with ice at a cooling center down the road to preserve freshness on their journey.
“The packing machine will size and sort them. We can even weigh them and they go into a shed where they are iced sometimes and usually ship with ice on them,” Maulhardt said.
These veteran farmers are giving Texans a taste of the Central Coast by sending produce care packages.
“Look at this weather, 75 degrees [Monday] and that's one of the reasons why we have such beautiful and prolific crops is because we have the weather to grow them,” Maulhardt said.
Guadalupe Cooling is also donating a pallet of water to the Central Texas Food Bank.
Even living and working thousands of miles away, these men and their business partners are lending a hand to those struggling to put food on the table.
“We're a truckload away, right? We have a transportation company that donated a freight. They are helping, the coolers are helping, the growers are all helping. I think it makes everyone feel good,” Adlesh said.
Delivery trucks are scheduled to arrive in Guadalupe on Monday at around 8 p.m. and then arrive in Austin by this Friday.
