Misery Index

So while I’m in the middle of cooking, and the other half is still asleep, why not blog?  :D

In Colorado 3 miles west of Platteville at Miller Farms on Colo. 66, a farm couple opened up their fields to anyone who wanted to pick up free vegetables left over after the harvest.  The couple expected about 5,000 to 10,000 to show up to dig for the free potatoes, carrots, beets, pumpkins, onions and leeks.

Instead, about 40,000 showed up in an estimated 11,000 vehicles.  About 30 acres of the 600-acre farm 37 miles north of Denver reportedly became a parking lot.  It was estimated that 600,000 pounds of produce was harvested on Saturday.  The event was due to be two days, Saturday and Sunday however, the fields were picked clean on Saturday, cancelling the event on Sunday.  The food was gone within an hour, before noon.

“Overwhelmed is putting it mildly,” Dave Miller stated.  “People obviously need food.”  “We had originally planned to take everyone by tractor to the fields but due to the overwhelming response we had to allow people to walk or drive themselves,” said Dave Miller.

“It was completely more than we expected,” said David Patterson, the farm’s operations manager. “It was absolutely insane, but it was one of the most wonderful things we’ve ever seen.”  “It’s an overall sign of the times,” Patterson added.  “Out country is in some bad economic times and there are a lot of people who have lost their jobs.  I probably talked to 50 people who were out here this weekend, just going from group to group chatting, people who’ve lost their jobs.”

Weld County sheriff’s deputies helped direct traffic and the Colorado State Patrol did issue citations for cars illegally parked on the side of the road.  Many families had to be turned away.

The Miller farm opened up free to the public for the first time this year after hearing reports of food being stolen from churches.  Last week in Denver, thieves broke into freezers owned by the Park Hill Grandparents Organization and stole Thanksgiving trimmings – including more than a dozen frozen turkeys – set to be donated.

SOURCES:

• 7 News, Denver [With Video]
• CBS 4 Denver [With Video]
• Denver Post
• Greeley Tribune
• Huffington Post