[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 164 (Thursday, October 12, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1364]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING DRISCOLL'S

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIMMY PANETTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 12, 2017

  Mr. PANETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Driscoll's, a 
company based in California's 20th Congressional District as the Second 
Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County's 2017 Food Donor of the Year. 
The company, made up of dedicated independent growers, has been 
donating their fresh berries to the Second Harvest Food Bank in 
Watsonville for over two decades. In 2016 alone, Driscoll's donated 
nearly one thousand tons of berries. Because of Driscoll's efforts, 
many food insecure families on the central coast of California now have 
access to the vitamin-rich and highly nutritious berries and can make 
them a part of a healthy diet.
   The Driscoll and Reiter families, the founders of Driscoll's, have 
been producing berries in the Pajaro Valley since 1904. Officially 
founded in 1950 as Driscoll Strawberry Associates, Inc., the company 
originally sold only fresh California strawberries. Their creation of 
the first patented strawberry variety in 1958 made Driscoll's the 
national berry of choice by extending the crop's growing season and 
allowing berries to be shipped long distances. Today, they have 
expanded their operations from just strawberries to include 
raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Driscoll's innovative work, 
along with the contributions from many other farmers and ranchers of 
the Central Coast, has contributed to my district's reputation as an 
agricultural powerhouse.
   Driscoll's has always been committed to giving back to the local 
communities that have given them so much. Through their Berry Donation 
Program, Driscoll's works to make sure families throughout their 
community have access to berries during local growing seasons. The 
company also supports a variety of food banks and related organizations 
such as the California Association of Food Banks and Ag Against Hunger. 
Driscoll's culture of philanthropy is not limited solely to their 
senior leadership, but extends to their employees who are closely 
involved in the company's efforts to support their communities. 
Together, Driscoll's and their employees have donated over 5 million 
pounds of berries to the Second Harvest Food Bank.
   As the representative of the 20th Congressional District, I commend 
Driscoll's for working to ensure that families on the Central Coast 
have access to the fresh and nutritious berries grown in their own 
backyard. We are lucky that they call the 20th Congressional District 
home. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues in the House join me in 
congratulating Driscoll's on their 2017 Food Donor of the Year award.

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