Trucking company’s loss is Salvation Army’s gain

“It fell out of the back of a truck” isn’t an explanation that legitimate providers of goods typically offer. But that’s just how the Salvation Army Modesto Citadel Corps and Turlock Corps recently got a supply of lettuce, cauliflower and other fresh vegetables for a variety of needs.

On a Saturday afternoon, a 53-foot semi-trailer overturned in the Turlock area, loaded with produce that had to be removed before the trailer could be righted. The trucking company is owned by the daughter of Salvation Army church members, so the charity was alerted.

The salvage was related in the Modesto Citadel’s June newsletter. The brief story read, in part: “Majors Kyle and Martha Trimmer, their three young-adult children, Micki and Kalvin Bizek and others went to the location immediately. After many hours of backbreaking work, they had an abundant supply of fresh produce for the Food Program Warehouse, the Shelter feeding, the noon ‘soup kitchen,’ the emergency food program and other needs.”

The Turlock Corps also filled up four vehicles, including a small delivery truck, a pickup and a minivan, said Kalvin Bizek, who is shelter operations manager for the Modesto Citadel.

The truck driver was uninjured but the truck and trailer were badly damaged. “It was terrible for (the trucking company) but a blessing for us,” said Melody Robledo, kitchen manager for the Modesto Citadel. She oversees preparation of free noontime lunches for all comers at the I Street facility. For most of the month, she said, there are 150 to 175 daily diners, but by the end of the month, the lunch crowd can rise to 300.

Bizek and Brian Aird, business coordinator for the Modesto Citadel, said Tuesday that they’re grateful the company thought of the Salvation Army. “When something like that happens, you can’t just call up a grocery and say, ‘I have some produce I’ll sell you at a reduced rate,’” Bizek said. Time is of the essence with perishable food, he said; the trucking company couldn’t just “sit on” the lettuce, for example, shopping it around for a buyer.

There also are food commerce rules and regulations, of course, and there was insurance on the truck contents, so a good solution was to donate the food to charity, Bizek said.

In a way of paying forward the kindness, the Salvation Army found uses for salvaged produce that was beyond human consumption. It works with a number of local farmers and offered damaged vegetables as food for goats and other livestock. “We were trying to keep as much as possible out of the dumpster,” Bizek said.

This isn’t the first time food destined for elsewhere has ended up benefiting the Salvation Army. Once, it received a truckload of ice cream that, for reasons Aird couldn’t recall, could not be delivered.

And when delivery of a pallet of prosciutto was refused, the Salvation Army again brought home the bacon, as it were. The dry-cured, thinly sliced ham was used on pizzas, cooked with beans and used on sandwiches. “We get off-the-wall, miscellaneous things – you never know what,” Bizek said. “It makes our cooks be creative.”

Not everything comes from someone else’s misfortune, of course. Chipotle Mexican Grill at Vintage Faire Mall regularly donates unsold food to the Salvation Army, as does mall eatery Auntie Anne’s with its pretzel dogs, Aird said. The corps picks up surplus doughnuts from a variety of stores and gets baked goods from grocers including Save Mart and WinCo.

The Salvation Army also is a partner in Raley’s Food for Families program, Aird said. Raley’s on Monday announced its summer donation drive through the program. Through July 31, a $1 donation at any Raley’s, Bel Air and Nob Hill Market will help provide fresh fruits and vegetables to a local food bank, and Raley’s will match donations up to $25,000.

Bizek also noted that during the winter holiday season, the Salvation Army benefits from company celebrations, too, receiving leftover party food. “We’re able to do something special for our transitional clients with that,” he said.

“During winter, we feed 160 people at night at our shelter, and you heard what we do here (in the lunch program). There’s always a need.”

Any store, farm, restaurant, bakery, delivery company or other business interested in offering food to the Salvation Army Modesto Citadel Corps should contact Aird at (209) 522-3209.

This story was originally published June 16, 2015 at 11:07 AM with the headline "Trucking company’s loss is Salvation Army’s gain."