INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — For 15 years, the United Way and Indian River County citrus growers have been shipping a taste of sunshine nationwide as an annual fundraiser benefitting 32 partner agencies. This year, they shipped about 52,000 pounds navel oranges and ruby red grapefruit.
“All this wouldn’t happen without the support of the local citrus growers,” said United Way Indian River County’s Faith Frazier, the director of workplace giving.
At the Wells Fargo branch located at State Road 60 and 58th Avenue, stacks of citrus boxes in the parking lot were quickly getting moved to the UPS truck, claimed as gifts for friends and family.
Not three hours into what would have been a 5-hour fundraiser, and the site was running out of citrus to sell. Already, they had to replenish their stock of navel oranges.
The idea of the fundraiser sprouted from a brainstorm amongst the United Way Indian River County’s agriculture division.
“We’re in the heart of Indian River County,” said Rusty Banack, who, with Scott Lambeth, came up with the Annual Holiday Citrus Sale. “We grow the best citrus in the world.”
Their citrus packing companies, Quality Fruit Packers and Golden River Fruit Company, respectively, and others donated the citrus to be sold and shipped nationwide.
Those companies include Green River Packing, Harbor Island Citrus, Hogan & Sons, IMG Citrus, Indian River Exchange Packers, LeRoy Smith, Olso Citrus Growers Association, Premier Citrus Packers, The Packers of Indian River, Riverfront Groves, and United Indian River Packers.
“It’s going really well,” said United Way Indian River County CEO Michael Kent of the fund-raiser. He visited each of the three Wells Fargo locations Saturday and each had long lines of people waiting to pick up citrus for themselves and for gifts.
“It’s been a tremendous fundraiser for us,” Kent said of the annual citrus sale. In the 15 years holding the event, the United Way Indian River County has raised more than $166,000.
They raised $20,000 last year and expected to hit that mark again this year.
Also helping with the fundraiser was UPS, which donated back the cost of shipping to the United Way.
While gift givers paid shipping for their packages of citrus to be delivered to friends and family, UPS allowed United Way to keep the shipping funds and, instead, shipped the boxes essentially for free.
Among those out to buy citrus Saturday was Christ Polezoes, who bought a box of fruit for himself and another to ship to family in Illinois.
“They always think of me down here,” he said of the family, adding he wanted to give them a taste of what it’s like to be in Florida.
Another person who showed up to buy some fruit ended up sticking around to help the cause.
“It happens everywhere I go,” said Sue Shell.
She came out to ship two boxes of fruit – one to Connecticut, another to Illinois – and take home a box for herself.
“They just needed a little help,” Shell said, explaining that she felt qualified to tape up boxes.
Every year, she said, she picks up the fruit from the United Way Indian River County Holiday Citrus Sale.
“I look forward to it,” Shell said. “It’s a good deal and a great cause.”
