Adopt a Bushel, Feed a Nation

The bushel you adopt is actually a mesh bag, filled with 36 plastic fruits and vegetables, each marked with a specific dollar value. This dollar value represents a HUGE quantity of that fruit or vegetable, that the Society of St. Andrew can share with hungry people right here in the United States, when you give.

All of these fruits and veggies are ones that Society of St. Andrew gleaning volunteers glean or recover and share during a typical year. With your whole group pitching in, this challenge will be fun and easy to meet within the 30-day timeframe. Through the Adopt a Bushel challenge, your group will share more than 41,000 servings of fresh, health-giving fruits and vegetables with people in great need.

While each person does a small part by “adopting” just one fruit or vegetable for the amount of money marked on that item, the bushel you’ve adopted for $806 will share about $14,375 worth of food!

Set your challenge dates, and order your Adopt a Bushel Kit, at no charge, from the Society of St. Andrew, using the link at right. Your kit will include the mesh bag filled with fruits and vegetables and a complete set of printed program materials.

Here is how the program works:

1. Set your 30-day Adopt a Bushel challenge dates.
2. Seek any necessary board or supervisor approvals.
3. Select a Project Leader.
4. Order your Adopt a Bushel Kit from endhunger.org. Allow 3 weeks for delivery.
5. Receive kit, review the Adopt a Bushel challenge process.
6. Begin publicizing the challenge 6-8 weeks in advance of its start.
7. On the start date, set up an “Adoption Center” table in your facility, where adopters can come and choose the fruit or vegetable they want to take home and give or raise funds for.
8. Carefully log who adopts each fruit and vegetable.
9. Give each adopter the Profile Sheet that matches their fruit or vegetable, along with an Information Sheet about the Society of St. Andrew. (Or go paperless and use QR code scanning to direct adopters to this information online.)
10. At regular intervals throughout the 30 days, remind people of the challenge, encouraging adopters to continue fundraising.
11. Accept returned fruits and vegetables AND the money that accompanies them, as they are returned. If you wish, make returned fruits and vegetables available for re-adoption as time permits.
12. At the end of 30 days, celebrate the challenge’s end by receiving returned fruits and vegetables and the money that accompanies them. In some public way, recognize adopters and total amount of money donated. Make the connection between the money donated and the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables that money will share.
13. Follow up with any adopters who did not return their fruits, vegetables, or money, offering them a small window of opportunity to complete their adoption promise.
14. Within two weeks, count the funds received, and have your group’s treasurer write a check to the Society of St. Andrew for the total sum raised, mailing that check to Society of St. Andrew | 3383 Sweet Hollow Road, Big Island, VA 24526.
15. When we receive your check, we will thank you with a colorful Adopt a Bushel Certificate, marking the successful completion of your challenge.
16. Pass the entire Adopt a Bushel Kit along to another group, and invite them to take up the challenge.
17. If we haven’t heard from you within 60 days of your challenge’s start date, the Society of St. Andrew will bill your organization $30.00 for the cost of the Adopt a Bushel Kit and postage and handling.