PTSA sponsors citrus sale

Despite setbacks caused by the hurricanes in Florida, the PTSA's citrus sale fundraiser is now taking orders for oranges and grapefruit.

The string of recent hurricanes in Florida threatened the PTSA's annual citrus sale until the organization found a new supplier in Texas. According to Chris Simpson, the director of the citrus sale program, the PTSA was forced to seek a new supplier of fruit after it received word that Floridian company Riverfront Grove, with whom the PTSA usually deals, would not be able to provide any fruit this year. "When the hurricanes came through, I couldn't even reach anybody on the phone," Simpson explained. "I finally did hear from Riverfront Grove, and they told me there would be no fruit."

At that point, Simpson and the rest of the PTSA members in charge of the fundraiser began to print flyers that stated there would be no citrus sale this year but that the PTSA would continue to accept strictly monetary donations. Before the flyers were distributed, however, the PTSA decided to find another fruit company. "We decided to give it one last try," Simpson said.

Simpson searched for new suppliers on the Internet and was referred to Rio Queen, a citrus grower in Texas. According to the PTSA website, Texas is the second largest grower of grapefruit after Florida.

This year, supporters of the PTSA have a choice between Rio Star grapefruit and navel oranges. They also have the opportunity to buy a box of fruit for Shepherd's Table, a charity organization that feeds the homeless. Simpson said that in the past, the PTSA donated its leftover boxes of fruit to Shepherd's Table. Simpson believes that the initiative will succeed, judging by the few orders the PTSA has already received thus far. "People are buying a box for themselves and a box for Shepherd's Table," she said.

Adrienne McBride, Communications and Development Coordinator at Shepherd's Table is hopeful that the new branch of the program will be successful. "People like to buy things for fundraisers, but they don't necessarily want what they buy. It's win-win." McBride added that "a dozen boxes would be great."

Simpson said the PTSA is optimistic about the sales. "The PTSA has budgeted about $6,000 as our profit for this year," she says. According to Simpson, last year, the citrus sale netted approximately $5,700.

Supporters can only pick up their fruit on Saturday, Dec. 11 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the concession stand outside the Blair stadium. This is a change from the past when those who purchased fruit had three days to pick up their orders. "It used to be Saturday, Monday and Tuesday," explained Simpson, "but people would mostly always come on Saturday. Lots of volunteers were just standing around on Monday and Tuesday, and we were freezing outside."

To download an order form for citrus fruit, click here.