JUNCTION CITY — The seeds of a partnership planted three years ago between Food for Lane County and the state psychiatric hospital in Junction City have blossomed into a bumper crop of fresh apples for families in need.
On Wednesday, about 20 hospital patients, staff and volunteers picked the first apples from the more than 200 donated trees planted by volunteers along the hospital’s driveway the day the facility opened in 2015.
“I really like the apple trees and picking the apples,” said patient Roger Sullivan. A big grin stretched across his face as he twisted a couple of palm-sized apples off a 5-foot tall tree and dropped them into a box at his feet.
The apples will end up in food boxes that Food for Lane County will distribute to the 150 organizations it partners with across the county, said Brad Bassi, Food for Lane County Food resource developer.
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