How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
The goal was to sell 100 boxes at $40 each and it was achieved.
“From the outset, the response was incredible,” said organizer Michelle Scully. “We received emails for orders the very first day.”
The gift boxes contained two layers of Comice pears and apples, a bottle of Lake County wine and walnuts.
“We were blown away by the immediate response of Six Sigma Ranch and Winery,” said Scully. “The very first day Christian Ahlmann offered us all the white wine we would need.”
Wonderful red wines were donated by Brassfield and Wildhurst Wineries as well as local growers Randy Krag and Erica Lundquist who made a personal donation of Steele Wine produced from their Round River Farm.
“People stated whether they wanted their gift box to contain red or white wine, so the surprise was in which winery the wine would be from. It was awesome to know that people would be receiving product of such high quality,” said Scully.
Paula Bryant, community relations director of Umpqua Bank in Lakeport, expressed enthusiasm for the project early on and offered the bank's use as the delivery site.
“Umpqua Bank always strives to support our local communities,” Bryant said. “By purchasing the 'Bountiful boxes' it gave us the opportunity to give wonderful Lake County grown products to our customers as well as being able to support a very worthwhile cause. We certainly hope this program will be continued every holiday season.”
Scully said of the bank, “Umpqua's enthusiasm helped us realize early on that this idea could be successful.”
The staff at Umpqua continued their community support in small ways as well. “It was so cold the day of the deliveries we were freezing in the parking lot where we'd set up the deliveries so they'd be easier for people to pick up,” Scully said. “Everyone in the bank was super kind and they brought us hot coffee to take the chill off.”
Little did they know how successful the Bountiful boxes would be – the total amount raised for the HTF was $4,766. Donations were made in addition to box sales.
Lorrie Gray of the HTF was amazed at the support. “Michelle Scully and Scully Packing, the Lake County Winegrape Commission and its members, Lake County Walnuts and Seely Farm Stand established a limit of 100 'Bountiful boxes,' and all were sold within a brief two-week span. The revenues gained from this wonderful collaboration will help our community garden program, as well as our canning program for many years to come.”
Amazingly, demand exceeded supply, Scully said. “We could have sold more boxes if we had continued on past the Dec. 17 delivery date but we’d pretty much wrapped it all up by then.”
Gray added, “It is gratifying to live in a place where such generosity exists. The public response to this effort was overwhelming. Lake County produce of all kinds makes 'eating local' a no-brainer. We have some of the best fresh food in the world at our doorstep, and folks responded to that.”
Scully seconded Gray's observations. “Lorrie and I met a couple of years ago when we were serving together on a committee. Over time we realized that although our life experiences and direction of approach might be different, we shared a common passion – the issue of hunger.”
She said the HTF approaches that issue by helping people grow and preserve their own food.
“We're on the farming side in our family business and to me, those of us in farming are in it to feed people,” Scully said. “It's a natural relationship, just approached from different angles. I'd much rather work with someone towards a common goal than sit around talking about how we're different.
Scully called Gray “a wonderful person and she knows how to get things done,” adding, “I appreciate that in a person. There's so much need and anguish in the world, it's easy to become overwhelmed by that pain and not know where to begin.”
She added, “Although this project is just a drop in the bucket as far as that goes, I keep a quote from Mother Theresa in my head which says 'If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.' In my mind I sort of thought of each box as one person.”
So the question is: Is this a one-time effort or will it be back again next Christmas season?
“People's heartfelt response to the project just touched me deeply,” Scully said. “The best part, beyond almost $5,000 being raised, was that it was just a win-win for everyone. Everyone we had contact with was happy about the boxes – happy to purchase them, happy to know what a good cause the funds were going towards, and happy to give them. People who received them were thrilled to receive them.”
She said the feedback they received was that people were dismayed at how commercial Christmas gifting had become. “They were thrilled to give a gift that did something positive for their community.”
Scully said most people do want to help, to reach out, and they are just looking for an avenue to do so that speaks to them personally. “It was a wonderful experience and it created a network of people who want to remain connected for future efforts,” she said.
So to answer the question, Scully said they're definitely considering bringing the boxes back for Christmas 2011.
“But first I want to ensure that all the producers who donated their products are in a position to continue on with that,” she said. “I do think it’s an idea that can sustain itself and accomplish two very worthwhile goals – supporting a beneficial hunger outreach in our community and showing off our awesome Lake County products too.”
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .
