|
16 Tons of
Fresh Oranges from
Central Valley Packing House Sent to
Victims of Chilean Earthquake
Words, Photos, and Slide shows By JoAnne Green
Posted on March 12, 2010
Please send comments about this article to
The images
of the tremendously devastating disaster and enormously
large loss of lives from the earthquake in
Haiti in the middle of January of this year were
still vividly fresh in the minds of many people around the world
when a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck the
Republic of Chile early Saturday morning, the
27th of February. That quake was followed by a long
string of unexpectedly powerful aftershocks that
continued to jolt the people of the Republic of Chile.
Although
Chileans have experienced numerous
violent tremors in the past, as their country lies on
the Pacific "Ring of Fire," it has never been possible
to predict when or how powerful the next tremor will be.
The 8.8 magnitude earthquake
on February 27th was the biggest quake to hit Chile in the
last fifty years. According to a report from the U.S.
Geological Survey, the City of Concepcion, a coastal
city, was hit most severely.
To
date, the Chilean government has reported that the February 27th
earthquake and the aftershocks have killed 214 people,
injured or displaced about 2,000,000 people, and damaged
approximately 500,000 homes. On Friday, March 12th, Chile's newly
elected President, Sebastian Pinera, declared the total
quake damage was about $30 billion.
Along with
people of many nations around the world, many Americans
have continued to help the victims of the Haitian
earthquake. Many of them, now, have also turn their
efforts to assisting the victims of the recent Chilean
quake.
Without any
connection in Chile, and about six thousand miles away
from Santiago, a resident of
Clovis, California, Mr.
Richard Sullivan, thought that sweet
Navel oranges from
the
Central Valley would be a welcomed fruit in the
earthquake zone, as the oranges would not only provide
needed nutrition to the victims of the earthquake but
would be appreciated for their delicious sweetness as
well as their cheery color.
So Sullivan
set up a
Navel Orange Donation Plan for the Chilean
Quake Relief. Using his expertise as a Cold Storage
Manager for a Central California fruit packing house, Bravante Produce, in Reedley, he coordinated the joint
effort, secured donations not only for the fruit but for
the logistics necessary to get the fruit delivered to the
City of
Concepcion, the most quake-damaged city in Chile.
Story continued
below.
To
hear the music with the slide show, please turn on your
speaker.
|
Sorting, grading, and
packing Navels and Minneolas at Bravante Produce in
Reedley California; George Bravante, Richard
Sullivan, Miguel Perez, and various
employees of Bravante Produce, as well as
Frank Gomez of Yamko Truck Lines in front of
the loaded sea container that will deliver
16 tons of donated fresh sweet California
oranges to earthquake victims in Chile.
|
Sixteen
tons of fresh sweet
Navel oranges were donated by Mr. George Bravante, a Central
California citrus grower who owns Bravante Produce. The
packing materials were donated by Mid-Valley Packaging
in Fowler, California. The oranges were packed
into bins and loaded into a forty-foot ocean container by the employees of Bravante Produce on Thursday, March 13th.
Empty plastic mesh bags were included with each bin to
facilitate distribution of the oranges upon their
arrival in Chile.
Mr. Frank
Gomez, who is President of Yamko Truck Lines, donated a
truck and driver to take the oranges to the Port of Long
Beach, California. The sea container and the shipping of
the container by ocean vessel were donated by NYK
Cool Ocean Freight Company. Freight booking and
coordination were donated by Inchcape Shipping Services.
The 16 tons
of Navel oranges were scheduled to
leave the Port of Long Beach on Monday, March
15th, and to arrive in Santiago, Chile, on Friday, March
26th. Sullivan said that once the oranges reached Port
Valparaiso, the Chilean Navy will transport them to the
City of Concepcion.
Sullivan emphasized that the
oranges been donated to the earthquake victims in Chile go through a close
inspection from the California Department of Food &
Agriculture, just as if they were being sent to the markets in the
United States.
There is no
doubt that this donation of 16 tons of fresh oranges
from the
Central Valley of California is one example
among many of a thoughtful, compassionate and caring
response by a small group of private American citizens
to the needs of strangers thousands of miles way who
suffer from a devastating natural disaster.
What a
sweet donation for Chilean Quake Relief!
Source:
www.ExperienceClovis.com
Words & Photos
Copyright © 2010-2011 JoAnne Green
Do
not republish or repost photos or text without written permission.
Do
not extract quotes without proper credit.
Plagiarism is a crime.
Have an
Awesome Day & Experience in
Clovis and Central California!
Clovis is what every
small town aspires to be
when it grows up!SM
Thank
you for visiting
www.ExperienceClovis.com
Please come back soon
̶
and bring
your friends and family!
|
Editor &
Publisher
Clovis
resident for 30 years
|
|
Your
feedback is welcome. Please
send your comments to
|
|
Share
