Farm stand's leftovers funneled to food pantries

In a perfect world, Keller's Farm Stand would pick just enough corn each day to sell without any leftover waste.

Reality, though, means that sometimes it rains and customers don't stop and shop, or some days there's just more corn ready to be picked than can be sold and eaten.

Either way the result is the same: there's fresh produce left over at the end of the day - and no productive use for it.

Over the years, Martha Keller tried a variety of routes to donate the food - like calling churches in the area to ask if food pantries could use the surplus. Unfortunately, they all said "sure, if you can deliver it."

Well, that wasn't really viable for the crew that starts its mornings at 6 a.m.

So the farm stand wound up giving much of their extra fruit and vegetables away at the end of the day to late shoppers, canning some for themselves, or just facing the inevitable. "A lot of things got dumped," Keller said. They always hated the waste.

Enter Joe Sobin.

Sobin, a Naperville resident, buys his corn at Keller's and phoned one day to ask what they did with the leftovers.

They said they get rid of them at the end of the day, and haven't donated it because no one will come pick it up.

"I said, 'If that's the only thing holding you back from donating, I'll be glad to come pick it up and deliver it,'" he recalls.

And a beautiful relationship was born.

On days when Keller's has a surplus, they call Sobin, who drives over in his truck and loads it all up with other volunteers from Naperville's Ashbury subdivision.

The homeowners decided to combine their efforts this year for Plant a Row for the Hungry, and rally around Julie Daly, who volunteered to transport produce last year if residents would drop it off at her house.

After Sobin makes his pickup, he packs it all up and prepares it for delivery the following morning to Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry in Naperville.

So far, Sobin and Keller's efforts have produced almost a ton of fruits and vegetables for people who are unable to provide enough food for themselves or their families.

Sobin said he and his neighbors are simply trying to help those who need assistance - in whatever way they can.

"We're not changing the world," he said, "we're just working on one part."