All the discussions these days about supply chain disruptions have no place in the backyards of Dave and Patfar.

The Mission Viejo couple have their own mini-supply chain that can smoothly transport excess fruit from the trees to the food pantry operated by the Irvine South County Outreach.

For the past five years, the Falls, their son Mike, some neighbors and missionaries who volunteer as pickers have worked together to provide oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, lemons and limes to those in need each year. .

Their group’s harvest this year: Dave Farr estimates that about 2,500 pounds of fruit worth more than $7,000.

The faith of the Farrs promoted this cause—they are devout members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—and the generosity of their neighbors. Mike Farr is responsible for the delivery. He visits his elderly parents regularly and is happy to fill his white Avalon with up to 8 cardboard boxes of donated fruit, regardless of the price of a gallon of gasoline.

Dave Farr, who initiated Neighborhood Action, hopes to inspire others who want to initiate their own agricultural products activities, whether they are members of his church, members of other faith groups, community service clubs, or just to help solve local problems. Questions interested in food needs.

For Farr, this is a supply chain that provides something to all participants, including those who donate.

"It makes people go out, forget about themselves and serve themselves," Farr said. "This is what the savior taught us to do to feed the hungry."

For trees, picking the fruit when it is ripe is healthier than letting it fall to the ground.

Since the land was built in 1976, the Farrs have been living in their home in Campesino. In addition to five citrus trees, they also have a peach tree. As Farrs get older and have limited mobility (Dave is 83 years old, Pat is 82 years old and needs a walking aid), their four children grow up and move out, and more and more fruits are not picked and eaten Falling, falling to the ground will only rot.

Harvesting backyard fruit at the scale managed by Farrs and their support team does not require much time to obtain the fruit, and someone will harvest and transport it. Empty cardboard courier boxes can be obtained for free from the grocery store. Then there are the necessary tools-fruit picking tools that extend to 25 feet, pruning shears, gardening gloves that can withstand sharp citrus thorns, goggles, and long-sleeved shirts.

A ladder can help, but for a long-stem fruit picker, a ladder may not be necessary. In addition, in Farr's view, it is safer to step on the ground to pick fruits with your feet.

The harvest time is generally from January to April. Farr encourages anyone who might want to organize a fruit picking project to start logistics now-who will donate, who will pick, who will deliver and where. He is trying to help organize more work involving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Orange County, and suggests that if the congregation needs help from a missionary, please contact the local ward.

South County Outreach has a contact person, Floridel Martinez, who wants people to contact fmartinez@sco-oc.org or call 949-380-8144 before donating.

Farr was able to recruit the necessary fruit pickers from his church. As part of the mission, young missionaries were asked to donate 10 hours of local service every week when they visited communities far from home. They work in pairs.

"They just like to do it, knowing that they are helping the homeless and hungry," Farr said.

Thank you for your donation in Nanxian Outreach. This non-profit organization emphasizes providing customers with fresh produce. In addition to the fruit discarded by Mike Farr, other home gardeners also donated something from their vegetable plot.

LaVal Brewer, President and CEO of South County Outreach, said: "We just see it as another way for families to support neighbors and other families, who use fresh fruits and vegetables to make nutritious meals."

But Brewer added that quantity and timing are crucial. Too much fruit, contributing when it starts to become overripe, can be a headache.

"If we get 500 oranges, that would be great, as long as it's not at the end of the shelf life. Then I have 500 flies."

They didn't get many donations of citrus fruits, but Brewer said that when limes appeared on the pantry shelves, they were by far the most popular. Due to the recent relaxation of some COVID-19 restrictions, customers are again allowed to pick and pack the food they want, just like in a grocery store. In addition to limes, lemons are also very popular, mainly because they are used to prepare food.

"They will go," Brewer said.

Andy Hall, a neighbor who lives on the corner of Farrs, contributed oranges and limes from his backyard. A few years ago, Farr had taken a walk nearby and mentioned his up-and-coming agricultural product activities in a small chat. Hall was very happy to see that the extra things his family of four could not eat were given to others.

"This is too much," he said.

However, Hall admits that he tends to keep more limes than oranges.

"Sometimes," he said with a smile, "we need them to drink." He pointed out that some limes would go with friends on his father-in-law's annual ski trip. "I think he makes a lot of margaritas."

This year’s harvest occurred when missionary Mo Johnson in Utah Highlands and Mackenzie Lamb in San Antonio, Texas were in southern Orange County. They are all in their early 20s, and they say they have never seen such a rich fruit tree here.

"It's too cold in Utah," Johnson said.

"Texas is too rugged," Lamb added.

Johnson also mastered a new skill. When visiting Farrs in the afternoon, she threw three grapefruits into the air.

"I am learning how to juggle."

Due to age, Dave Farr no longer does the physical labor involved in fruit picking. But he and his wife play another important role in the backyard supply chain.

"We stand up and cheer."

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