The Blueberry Patch’s owners, Jim and Marion Hughes, handed their Waupoos blueberry heaven over to a team of nearly two dozen volunteers this summer. An agreement between The Rotary Club of Picton and the Hughes family meant the club did all the work — and retained two thirds of profits from a robust summer of fruit sales.

The Hughes were honoured at a Rotary Club meeting last month with everyone in attendance wearing blue.

“It was an incredibly kind gesture,” Club President J.J Johnston said. “It wasn’t easy but we managed to make it all work and we are thankful to Jim and Marion for the wonderful opportunity.”

The couple was hoping to step back from the day-to-day operations of the blueberry stand. A committee led by Rotarian Doug Snider was happy to step in. Rotarians operated The Blueberry Patch Wednesday to Sunday all summer, in an agreement that netted the club $30,000 in proceeds.

“It was our pleasure to have Rotary do such a fabulous job looking after The Blueberry Patch the way you did. You are a class act, you are very professional people, and you certainly displayed that in the way you welcomed all the customers,” Mr. Hughes remarked.

“The customers seemed very pleased Rotary was stepping up to the plate and looking after the blueberries. I’ve never seen so many customers tip the staff,” he added with a chuckle.

Mr. Hughes also thanked Delano Beverly, one of the scores of Jamaican offshore agriculture workers who come to Prince Edward County every summer to work in the fields.

“Delano has a young family back home, he has a teenage daughter and a young son and he’s here, working to educate those children. It’s difficult in Jamaica and other parts of the world, where they have to pay to send their their children to school,” Mr. Hughes added. “He’s been coming to our farm for seven years and people like him are a very, very important part of getting fruits and vegetables harvested in Ontario.”

Rotarian Joan Bongard said autumn reminds us of the rewards that come from patience, effort, and care, whether in the fields, work or service to others. “May the bounty of this season inspire us to share generously, to work together in harmony and to continue planting seeds of good will and community, with gratitude for the opportunities before us. Let us move forward in fellowship and service,” she said.

In other news, two dozen club members attended the funeral mass of Maureen Finnegan at St. Gregory the Great in Picton Saturday 13 September.

Wife of former Mayor and longtime Rotarian Leo, Ms. Finnegan devoted her life to service and to her community. Rotarians formed an honour guard on the church’s front steps following the service. “When asked about growing older, she always said that the key to staying young was to ‘Keep your hands busy and your mind always thinking of others’,” Ms. Bongard recalled.

Maureen and Leo met and fell in love at St. Michael’s Catholic High School in Belleville. The couple celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary this past June.