editor@yourmonthlypaper.com
September 2016 The Urban Farmers
Serving Danville By Fran Miller
If your fruit trees are overflowing and your neighbors greet your offer of yet another bag of lemons with a yawn, it might be time to call The Urban Farmers. No one enjoys seeing their ripened fruit go to waste, but most people don’t know what to do about it. The Urban Farmers can help. The volunteers from this non-profit organization harvest excess backyard fruit and donate it to the needy. It’s a classic win-win. The organization’s goal is to build a community-based, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable model of hunger relief. Most tree fruit ripens in a very short period of time. If the mature crop is not harvested, it puts pressure on the tree and attracts bugs, disease, and pests. Many tree owners do not have the time or the ability to harvest their fruit, or the means to distribute their crops to those in need. This is where Urban Farmers can help. The process is simple: 1. Visit the Urban Farmers website at www.theurbanfarmers.org. 2. Register your tree by clicking on the link. 3. Provide a few details: What types of fruit do you have? When do you think the fruit will ripen? etc. 4. When your harvest date approaches, The Urban Farmers will contact you, and if you have excess fruit, they will coordinate a harvest day and will take whatever fruit you wish to donate. If you prefer to harvest your own fruit and all you need is transportation to the food bank, they will take care of that, too. Danville resident Bobbie Rothenberg decided to call The Urban Farmers when her lemon tree started bearing more fruit than she could use. She read about the organization in a senior center newsletter and enlisted their help. “This lovely group came
New Eagle Scouts
See Farmers continued on page 20
Jack Kennedy and Chris Stauber of Boy Scout Troop 803 recently received their Eagle Scout Commendation at St Isidore Church in Danville. For his Eagle Project, Jack restored the Grape Vine Picnic Area in Mt. Diablo State Park. His main goal was to rebuild a fence that was burned down in a fire in the park in 2013. In addition to the 16’ fence, he also led the clean up the picnic area to make it more enjoyable. Jack directed a group of scouts, friends, and family to remove Jack Kennedy debris such as logs and overgrown vegetation that scattered the site. For his Eagle Project, Chris made two planter boxes for the kindergarten class of St. Isidore’s school in Danville. They were made of redwood and placed behind the kindergarten. These planter boxes were about three feet high so that they are easily accessible for small Chris Stauber children. The purpose of this service project was to teach the kindergarten class about photosynthesis and plant life in our society today.
Local Postal Customer
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit 263 Alamo CA
ECRWSS
Charity Bike Institute
By Fran Miller
Throughout an entrepreneurial career that has taken him from sales with IBM to his current position with Reflow Water Works, local resident Stephen “Steamer” Stanley has always found time for charitable endeavors. After having been a youth sports coach, and having served on the boards of Shelter, Inc., CEID, and the Orinda Chamber of Commerce. In addition to being active in Rotary, Stanley decided it was time to establish his own charitable organization, and thus, Charity Bike Institute (CBI) was created. CBI’s premise is simple: they collect unwanted bicycles, refurbish and restore Stephen Stanley, founder of the CBI presents Angie Carmignani of them if necessary, the Taylor Family Foundation with a donated bike trike. and donate them to individuals in need. Stanley operates the organization year-round, relying on word of mouth for his collection of unwanted bikes. He personally contacts homeless and transitional shelters, schools, veteran groups, and other organizations to find those in need of a bike. His staff of high school volunteers provide the tune-up labor, and he was recently provided free use of a large business office on the Pleasanton/Livermore border that serves as his storage facility and tool shop. Organizations such as The Taylor Family Foundation (TFF) are frequent recipients of CBI bikes. A recent CBI donation included a ‘bike trike’ that is utilized by a different child at each TFF camp session and is a reward for good deeds.“Working with Stephen and Charity Bike Institute was an absolute pleasure,” says Angie Carmignani, executive director of TFF. “From our first meeting to the presentation of the ‘big wheel’ bike trike, Stephen was intent on creating something that our campers will enjoy for some time to come!” Generous donations from California Pedaler in Danville, Danville Bikes, California Snowboard and Bikes, Livermore Cyclery, and Sports Basement Walnut Creek, and funds provided by Livermore Rotary keep the organization stocked with tires, tubes, and tune-up tools. These retail outlets also serve as bike drop-off points, and most provide an in-store 10% discount to donors. But CBI is so much more than its own collection and giveaway program. “Churches, scouting organizations, and fire/police departments are all welcome to use our state-of-the-art facilities to fulfill their own bicycle donation projects,” says Stanley. “We can also facilitate the donation portion of a program for other organization that have the desire to help Volume VII - Number 11 others, but not the time or resources.” 3000F Danville Blvd. #117, Alamo, CA 94507 CBI invites other nonprofits to utilize their (925) 405-6397 facility and resources; they can help to promote Fax (925) 406-0547 other organizations’ bike donation programs and will provide their facility, tools, and labor Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher editor@ as needed. At giveaway time, CBI will even yourmonthlypaper.com include a gift card identifying the guest organization as the donor. CBI also has the appro- The opinions expressed herein belong priate infrastructure to assist Boy Scout Eagle to the writers, and do not necessarily reflect that of Danville Today News. candidates with their Eagle projects. And finally, Danville Today News is not for the content of any of CBI offers one-hour bike repair clinics with responsible the advertising herein, nor does
See Bike continued on page 12
publication imply endorsement.