The problem was an unexpected delivery of more than 3,000 pounds of produce, for which there was no storage space. The solution was a viral Facebook campaign on Saturday, plus nine volunteers who distributed the food to six social agencies and churches.
It all started on Friday night, when two pallets of produce arrived unexpectedly at the Community Table (TCT). Michelle Koehn, the organization’s executive director, sent an email request Saturday morning to Chippewa Valley media, asking that they invite the public to stop by and take home some of the fresh produce.
Instead, TCT turned to social media and got immediate results.
“We created a viral campaign on Facebook,” Koehn wrote in an email on Sunday. “We’re fortunate to live in a philanthropic community. We had 30,000 impressions in a couple (of) hours and, as a result, 40+ families received free produce.
In addition, TCT’s kitchen became usable again, as the produce was removed and delivered. The organization, which serves one meal a day on a “no questions asked” basis, is located at 320 Putnam St. in Eau Claire.