On Oct. 20, 14 Kirkland Rotarians joined Rotarians from several other local clubs to sort and pack food at Northwest Harvest in Kent.

In just three hours, Rotarian volunteers sorted and packed 31,930 pounds of apples and 840 pounds of peas that will be distributed to food banks across the state of Washington.

They were participating in a program called Rotary First Harvest which was founded by members of the University Rotary Club in 1982. Since then Rotarians have collected and distributed nearly 165 million pounds of produce.

Rotary First Harvest acts as a conduit between farmers Northwest Harvest, who serves hungry individuals and families in our region. Farmers are occasionally left with surplus fruits and vegetables that can’t be sold due to minor imperfections (such as carrots with two legs or apples that are the wrong size or color), or might not be harvested because of a glut on the market.

Traditionally, this nutritious produce would be sent to a landfill or left to rot in the fields. Instead, Rotary First Harvest helps to directs it to those in need. Rotary Club of Kirkland has been active in the Kirkland community for 75 years and raises money for this, and other projects, with their annual Duck Dash currently run in August.

The club meets every Monday night at 6:30 p.m. at the Woodmark Hotel at Carillon Point.