Buy OMP Apples, Help Fight Food Insecurity

Editor’s Note: Barb Wunsch reports that Wunsch Farms is once again helping to fight local food insecurity with their apple program. Read on for more info. -jb

Hello Neighbors,

We have received numerous inquiries and requests from many of you on whether we will have apples available for sale this year, and the answer is YES!

I’m happy to report that the apple campaigns in the last two years have been so popular with the community — and such a big success in addressing food insecurity — that Wunsch Farms has again decided to make it an annual program. This year we will have apple picking right off the trees in addition to out of bins for special varieties. (Read more about the program in this post from 2023; note, their cider mill is not open this year. – jb)

Why It’s Important

To reiterate why this is so important: one in nine Michiganders and one in eight Michigan kids are still struggling with food insecurity. In 2023 and 2024, our neighbors and our team on the farm found a great deal of fulfillment in launching our Pound-for-Pound apple donation program.

This apple season, we have received numerous requests to carry the program forward, and we are thrilled to announce that we will offer apples for both u-pick and pick-up from our main farm on Phelps Road this season.

Just like last year, our family farm will donate one pound of apples to regional food banks for each pound of apples purchased through the program. In the last two years, this program has resulted in more than 200,000 pounds of fresh apples donated to food assistance organizations throughout the region.

We will sell the apples by the half bushel (20 pounds) at typical retail pricing ($35/half for Honeycrisps, and $25/half for all other varieties). Just pre-purchase apples from our website here, and we will 100 percent match that purchase with a donation of the same amount of apples to the food banks.

We also have a donation-only option where we will donate a full bushel on your behalf if you are not able to pick up your apples. You also have the option to donate an entire 1000-pound bin at a discounted rate.

We began harvesting in late September and are getting the message out in order to begin making donations of apples as soon as possible — pre-orders are a key part to making the program viable, because they allow us to organize the logistics for large-scale harvesting and donations.

Selling a large volume of apples direct to consumers instead of to wholesalers generates enough value for our family farm to support the cost of harvesting, storing, and donating one pound for each pound that we sell, provided that we have a good idea of how many apples to donate ahead of time.

How the Program Works

When you pre-order apples from our website here, we will log the sale. Then, for each pound of apples that you purchase, we will donate a pound of apples to Food Rescue of Northwest Michigan and Feeding America. U-pick for the apples will be at our main farm off of Phelps Road on the Old Mission Peninsula. We have added a Google Maps location, and have also placed directional signs to help you reach the check-in booth.

We have another three dates and times scheduled for this season: Saturday on 10/4, 10/11 and 10/18, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. We were amazed by local support for this program in the last two years, and we’re excited to offer it again for the 2025 season after receiving so much interest in sustaining the program for this and future seasons.

Come spend some time in our little corner of the world this fall picking apples and enjoying some time on our beautiful farm!

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