Michael Mangers writes that squash, pumpkins and other vegetables are left on the ground at South Jersey farms while nearby families go hungry.
To the Editor:
As you drive around Mullica Hill, you can't but help notice the thousands of squash and hundreds of pumpkins rotting away in the fields.
Every year, farmers in this area let some of their crops rot, instead of paying workers to harvest them because it's easier and more cost-effective to take a tax write-off.
It saddens me that we have food banks, soup kitchens, etc., begging for food, but thousands of pounds of edible produce sit there unpicked. Many organizations would love to be able to load up a truck, van, or whatever, and pick these fresh vegetables. The amount of rotting produce in this area could feed hundreds of families for weeks.
We have people complaining about the cost of welfare, and people who abuse food stamps, yet, we drive by these farms without a second thought. Well, let's put some thought into it. How can we get these vegetables to families in need?
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There are families out there who have to decide what's more important - rent, food, medicine or gasoline - and who need food badly. Our schools could use this produce for lunches.
You can't just go onto these farms and pick the food. That would be trespassing and theft.
It's time that the leaders of this community work together with the farmers and get this produce to those in need. The next time you take a drive, look around and think how much food is just sitting there, wasting away.
Michael Mangers
Mullica Hill
Times put you-pick apples out of reach
To the Editor:
The front-page "flag" of my newspaper reads "South Jersey Times,
Gloucester County Times Edition."
In the Sept. 23 print edition, you published an article about apple picking. Any thinking person would expect the article to be about picking apples in Gloucester County, and maybe Salem and Cumberland counties.
Instead, the article quoted the owner of Johnson's Corner in Medford, Burlington County. Then it lists six farms where "South Jersey" readers can go to pick apples. The closest, most southern, farm listed is in Princeton!
You should be ashamed of yourselves. What happened to the local newspaper supporting local farms and businesses?
I live in South Harrison and I have two places to pick apples within a couple of miles - Hill Creek Farms on Route 45 and Moods on Route 77. I am sure there are others -- many others -- I don't know about.
You owe your readers and our farmers an apology and, maybe a locally written piece on our own "you pick" farms.
Pam Fuller
South Harrison Township
Editor's note: Our story was locally written by features writer Kelly Roncace. It included additional counties to serve our larger online readership area. Unfortunately, when the article was edited to fit our print edition, the Gloucester County farms were mistakenly dropped. The story appeared in full online, and we listed the missing farms in print the next day because of the ommission.
Sign N.J. voting reform legislation
To the Editor:
Voter participation in our state and country is embarrassingly low. Everyone complains about government, but too few people vote.
Voting is one of the most important rights we have in America, no matter your ideological or political views. Since our lives are so busy, it's time to make it easier for citizens to vote.
The New Jersey Legislature passed a measure this summer titled the "Democracy Act." It would expand access to early voting, allow people to register at the polls on Election Day, and change the rules for a governor to fill U.S. Senate vacancies. No one should be excluded from participating in elections because they have to work or have family responsibilities. Every citizen's vote is important.
State Senate President Stephen Sweeney held a press conference earlier this month to urge Gov. Chris Christie to sign this legislation. (Christie has until November to act on it.)
Sweeney deserves credit for his role in creating this legislation as a co-sponsor, and urging the governor to act on it. The more citizens who vote, the better our country will be.
Linda Murry
Mantua Township
Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com