On Thursday, relatives of orchard owners killed in a car crash sold the last of the pomeloes the couple grew, raising money for a charity.
Changhua County couple Hsu Ying-lu (許銀爐) and Chen Hua (陳花), both in their 80s, died after their pickup truck skidded off the road and fell into a valley in rainy weather on July 23, their daughter-in-law Shih Chia-hua (施佳驊) said.
Hsu and Chen had managed the orchard for more than 50 years and were active in many local charitable causes, Shih said.
After arranging their affairs, the family realized that the two had left 6 tonnes of ripe pomeloes unharvested, she said.
The family decided to put them toward a cause that would honor the deceased, she said.
As Hsu and Chen were devout Buddhists and volunteers for the Guangning Charitable Foundation, the family sold the fruit for about NT$10 per kilogram, with the proceeds going to the foundation, Shih said.
“My parents-in-law are smiling down on us and I hope they are blessing this sale with success,” she said.
Family members were seen at the foundation’s headquarters selling the pomeloes and decorating them with drawings of the Buddha, among others.
The proceeds will go toward the foundation’s winter banquet for homeless people at the end of the year, which in the past was funded by the sale of used goods, said Chang Syue-ru (張雪如), the chairwoman of the foundation and an independent Changhua county councilor.
Any unsold pomeloes would be donated to orphanages and other non-profit organizations, she said.
Local resident Chang Fu-kai (張富凱) said he got off his scooter to see what the event was about and upon finding out, bought 10 bags of pomeloes on the spot.
He would have to return with his pickup to collect the fruit, Chang said.
Meanwhile, in Yunlin County, Liu Chao-nan (劉招男) has called on charities and local government offices to help a farmer’s widow sell 30,000 jin (18 tonnes) of pomeloes.
Lin Chao-hsiung (林照雄), a farmer in Gukeng Township (古坑) who died aged 79, left behind his wife, who is a new immigrant and does not have the contacts to dispose of the fruit, said Liu, who said Lin was a “sworn brother.”
The Yunlin Department of Agriculture bought 3,000 jin and planned to hand the pomeloes to people at a rock concert in Huwei Township (虎尾) last night, Yunlin Deputy Commissioner Ting Yen-che (丁彥哲) said yesterday.
Additional reporting by Chan Shih-hung
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