Irvine farm earns honor for local support of food donations
Last year, The Original Manassero Farms donated 250,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables to feed those in need.
State Sen. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, is scheduled to honor the Irvine-based grower for its charity today at the Westminster Family Fitness Day, an annual event launched by the senator to promote exercise and healthy eating.
For the past four years, Dan Manassero, who founded The Original Manassero Farms in 1976, has donated corn, strawberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, green beans and melons to Loaves and Fishesx10, a Santa Ana-based nonprofit. The organization then distributes the produce to food banks, shelters and churches in Orange and Los Angeles counties.
“It’s a shame to throw it away,” said Manassero, a third-generation Orange County farmer. “(Loaves and Fishesx10) is doing all the work. I’m just donating stuff.”
Westminster Family Fitness Day was created to encourage better eating habits among low-income families who might otherwise turn to fast food or similar options. The farm’s contributions aligned nicely with that goal, said Asia Cunningham, Correa’s district director.
The event will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at Sigler Park, 7200 Plaza St., Westminster. Correa will present the resolution at 11:10 p.m.
A volunteer from the UC Irvine Circle K Club harvests donated produce at the Great Park Farm, operated by Orange County Produce.
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Men’s Soccer Player Josh Popke Wins OEC Character Champion Award
Tags: Athletics, IVCEvents, Soccer-Men
Men’s soccer player Josh Popke has become the latest Irvine Valley student athlete to receive the Orange Empire Conference Character Champion Award.
The honor was announced earlier this week.
The inaugural Character Champion Award was given out following the 2009-10 academic year.
Irvine Valley has had at least one student athlete win the overall honor each year.
In 2009-10, it was volleyball player Caitlin Segert that earned the honor for the Lasers.
Soccer player Chris Popke claimed the award after 2010-11 for Irvine Valley.
And last school year, IVC won both the male and female awards with volleyball player Kevin Ringuette and basketball player Melanie Kashanchi taking home honors.
Josh Popke is another that deserved the award, which is given to the student athlete who displays the following values; sportsmanship, respect, caring, fairness, civility, honesty, integrity and responsibility shown through a specific action, ideally directed toward an opponent during competition.
The criteria also includes the action of putting the team and teammates before oneself while acting as a positive role model.
Popke’s academic achievements are impressive enough. He had already taken 56 units at Irvine Valley by the time of his high school graduation at Calvary Chapel.
He’s had even more success in his life and at IVC since then.
A two-time scholar-athlete, Popke has been part of Irvine Valley’s National Champion Speech and Debate squad.
His accomplishments include winning two gold medals in his first-ever tournament for displaying outstanding communicatory skills individually and conjointly when he and his partner went undefeated in all of the tournament’s debate rounds.
He is also on IVC’s all-Academic Team which requires a minimum GPA of 3.75.
His current cumulative GPA is 3.85.
Popke has also given his time outside of the college.
Beginning in high school, he has made frequent trips to Atria, a senior-citizens home located in Irvine where he spent time conversing with the elderly and entertaining them with his pianistic abilities.
At 15, he co-founded a group that met every week over the summer to feed the homeless population in Santa Ana. During the winter months, he co-established a group that freely delivered and stacked firewood for families that lacked proper indoor heating systems.
In college, despite the workloads of soccer, debate and honors status as a student, Popke continued to volunteer for community service events such as harvesting food through organizations like “Loaves and Fishes x10” to supply low-income families with fruits and vegetables, as well as continuing to use his ability on the piano to play for organizations like the Orange County Rescue Mission.
Orange County Produce, LLC and the Orange County Great Park Partner to Glean Food for Local Food Banks
IRVINE, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Orange County Produce, LLC and the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, Calif., continues its “Parks without Borders” program by offering fresh food to Orange County’s local food banks and soup kitchens. Orange County Produce is growing food on the four-acre VALOR Field at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, to support this effort.
On most weekends, a group of volunteers are invited to harvest all they can to prepare and deliver fresh fruits and vegetables to those they serve.
“In the United States, on average 30 to 40 percent of the food grown goes uneaten each year,” said Tom Larson, Manager of Farm, Food & Landscape Division for the Orange County Great Park. “With Orange County’s long history in agriculture, we are taking a leadership role in developing ways to reduce waste.”
“The wonderful partnership with the Great Park VALOR Program, Orange County Produce, LLC and our food security friends at Second Harvest Food Bank, Community Action Partnership of Orange County and Loaves & Fishes allows us to deliver freshly harvested fruits and vegetables to those in need. We appreciate the hard working volunteers who gathered over 10,000 lbs of vine ripe watermelons last Saturday,” said A.G. Kawamura.
Robert Flournoy, president of Loaves And Fishes x10, has been gleaning regularly at the Great Park for more than three years. He began his journey fighting hunger when he made a commitment to help support seven homeless people in Tustin, Calif. Today, his organization has gleaned thousands of pounds of food and delivered it to help those in need in low-income communities.
Orange County Produce and Orange County Great Park of Irvine Share Crops with Local Food Banks

Orange County Produce, LLC and the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, Calif., continues its ‘Parks without Borders’ program by offering fresh food to Orange County’s local food banks and soup kitchens. Orange County Produce is growing food on the four-acre VALOR Field at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, to support this effort.
IRVINE, Calif. /eNewsChannels/ — NEWS: Orange County Produce, LLC and the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, Calif., continues its “Parks without Borders” program by offering fresh food to Orange County’s local food banks and soup kitchens. Orange County Produce is growing food on the four-acre VALOR Field at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, to support this effort.
On most weekends, a group of volunteers are invited to harvest all they can to prepare and deliver fresh fruits and vegetables to those they serve.
“In the United States, on average 30 to 40 percent of the food grown goes uneaten each year,” said Tom Larson, Manager of Farm, Food & Landscape Division for the Orange County Great Park. “With Orange County’s long history in agriculture, we are taking a leadership role in developing ways to reduce waste.”
“The wonderful partnership with the Great Park VALOR Program, Orange County Produce, LLC and our food security friends at Second Harvest Food Bank, Community Action Partnership of Orange County and Loaves & Fishes allows us to deliver freshly harvested fruits and vegetables to those in need. We appreciate the hard working volunteers who gathered over 10,000 lbs of vine ripe watermelons last Saturday,” said A.G. Kawamura.
Robert Flournoy, president of Loaves And Fishes x10, has been gleaning regularly at the Great Park for more than three years. He began his journey fighting hunger when he made a commitment to help support seven homeless people in Tustin, Calif. Today, his organization has gleaned thousands of pounds of food and delivered it to help those in need in low-income communities.
Orange County Great Park and Orange County Produce, LLC Partner to Donate Food to Local Food Banks and Kitchens
Gleaners harvest fresh food for the hungry
“In the United States, on average 30 to 40 percent of the food grown goes uneaten each year,” said Tom Larson, Manager of Farm, Food & Landscape Division for the Orange County Great Park in Irvine. “With Orange County’s long history in agriculture, we are taking a leadership role in developing ways to reduce waste.”
“The wonderful partnership with the Great Park VALOR Program, Orange County Produce, LLC and our food security friends at Second Harvest Food Bank, Community Action Partnership of Orange County and Loaves & Fishes allows us to deliver freshly harvested fruits and vegetables to those in need. We appreciate the hard working volunteers who gathered over 10,000 lbs of vine ripe watermelons last Saturday,” said A.G. Kawamura.
Robert Flournoy, president of Loaves And Fishes x10, has been gleaning regularly at the Great Park for more than three years. He began his journey fighting hunger when he made a commitment to help support seven homeless people in Tustin, CA. Today, his organization has gleaned thousands of pounds of food and delivered it to help those in need in low-income communities.
Taylor Shweiki a Freshman Student-Athlete from Fresno, California who attends Irvine
Valley College wrote a publication in the Irvine World News about hunger in Orange County.
We are very excited to see her publication finally come out in the paper.


“In the United States, on average 30 to 40 percent of the food grown goes uneaten each year,” said Tom Larson, Manager of Farm, Food & Landscape Division for the Orange County Great Park in Irvine. “With Orange County’s long history in agriculture, we are taking a leadership role in developing ways to reduce waste.”
“The wonderful partnership with the Great Park VALOR Program, Orange County Produce, LLC and our food security friends at Second Harvest Food Bank, Community Action Partnership of Orange County and Loaves & Fishes allows us to deliver freshly harvested fruits and vegetables to those in need. We appreciate the hard working volunteers who gathered over 10,000 lbs of vine ripe watermelons last Saturday,” said A.G. Kawamura.
Robert Flournoy, president of Loaves And Fishes x10, has been gleaning regularly at the Great Park for more than three years. He began his journey fighting hunger when he made a commitment to help support seven homeless people in Tustin, Calif. Today, his organization has gleaned thousands of pounds of food and delivered it to help those in need in low-income communities.
Read more at http://mobile.wnd.com/market-overview/#Oh9Ov57OojQDM2Br.99
Taylor’s Actual Publication…
The Great Recession created a long list of economic hardships for Orange County residents, including, sadly, hunger.
Many people simply don’t understand the significant impact hunger has on our community. Hunger doesn’t just exist in small pockets of society, in certain areas of the country, or certain neighborhoods — it’s everywhere.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 500,000 U.S. households suffer from hunger each day. According to the Orange County Food Bank, there are nearly 456,000 people at risk for hunger every month in Orange County.
Fortunately, a national movement called “gleaning” has sprung up in our neighborhoods. Growers with excess harvest allow volunteers to “glean” produce that can then be donated to the needy.
Local gleaning projects have given hundreds of pounds of fresh produce to local people in need.
If you are looking for a way to give back or help out, volunteering for a local gleaning group can be a great way to do that.
Consider taking a step onto a path of service to others. The direction you choose in 2013 is entirely your decision; but choosing to DO, by helping those in need, will leave our community in a much better place.
To volunteer with the local gleaning organization Loaves and Fishes X10, email gleaningfarmland@gmail.co
Taylor Shweiki is a Freshman Student-Athlete from Fresno, California attending Irvine Valley College. She’s majoring in Biological Sciences. Shweiki plays on the colligent Women’s Golf Team for IVC, that won the State Championship title in November of 2012.
“Thank you Taylor for bringing to our attention the condition of our Country and our Community.
We are always looking for more volunteers to help in our gleaning projects. Feel free to bring
out your company,family and friends and together we can help stump out hunger in
Orange County.
/ FOR THE REGISTER
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