Hudson Valley Research Lab Donates 23 Tons Of Fruit

HIGHLAND, NY — More than 23 tons of apples and pears were donated by a Cornell University research lab in the Hudson Valley to food banks.

The Hudson Valley Research Laboratory, a Cornell University center for tree fruit research located in Highland, donated 47,000 pounds of fruit to the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley and UlsterCorps this fall.

The contribution helped support 40,000 people in need of food assistance in the greater Hudson Valley region, according to organizers.

Peter Jentsch, superintendent of the research lab, said that 2020 has been a tough year for families everywhere because of the pandemic and its economic impacts.

"So donating our fruit is a perfect way to give back," he said. "As Cornell employees, we feel an inherent call to help others not only through our research but also through acts of kindness."

Members of the local community and students from The Mount Academy and UlsterCorps, along with volunteers from around the region, joined the staff of the lab in harvesting the fruit.

The donated fruit included Bartlett and Bosc pears and such apple varieties including Zestar, McIntosh, Honeycrisp, EverCrisp, Crimson Crisp, Fuji, Pink Lady, Goldrush and RubyFrost, which was developed at Cornell, according to a spokesperson.

Like Hudson Valley Patches' Facebook Pages.