Many hands make harvesting of crops for Second Harvest Food Bank successful

Those in need in Orange County will have access to more food thanks to the latest group of volunteers, this time local high school students, who rolled up their sleeves and got dirty.

More than 20 sophomores from Santa Margarita Catholic High School picked about 12,000 pounds of cabbage at the Harvest Solutions Farm in Irvine on Thursday, Jan. 23.

Students from Santa Margarita Catholic High School work a line harvesting cabbage during a service day in Irvine, CA on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. The farm provides food that is distributed through Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Within a few days, that food will be available to clients of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.

Through the course of the year, more than 450 sophomore students at the school will volunteer either at the distribution center or at the farm, said Donnie Green, assistant director of campus ministry. They are part of the army of volunteers who contribute the elbow grease needed to help make the farm and food bank successful.

Winter crops such as cabbage and broccoli are being harvested now, but the farm grows zucchini, squash, peppers, sweet corn, tomatoes and other crops throughout the year to help supply people in need of food assistance with fresh produce.

Student Nicole Punto was one of the volunteers at the end of a relay line that filled a bin with heads of cabbage.

“I like helping people,” she said. “People that might not be able to afford dinner and I get to help them put dinner on the table.”

The 40-acre farm benefits the Second Harvest Food Bank, which partners with Solutions for Urban Agriculture and the University of California’s South Coast Research & Extension Center on the program.

Started in 2021, the farm provides more than 50,000 pounds of fresh produce each week.

More information on volunteering can be found at feedoc.org.