LEBANON — Berry Best Farm’s annual “Picking for the Pantries” event saw a record donation of 550 pounds of blueberries this year.

Picking for the Pantries was started several years ago by Chris and John Bozak, owners of Berry Best Farm, to do two things: provide fresh-picked blueberries to local food pantries as well as glean the fields at the end of the picking season. Typically, the event is held one day only, on Labor Day, but there were so many blueberries this year that two separate “Picking for the Pantries” days were held.

The first day was held in mid-August and the second on Sunday, Aug. 31. Customers were offered free blueberries for themselves if they would contribute half of what they picked for donation to area food pantries. Customers tolerated hot, humid weather ”“ and a few yellowjackets ”“ and were able to pick the largest-ever combined total amount of 550 pounds of blueberries.

Many more local food pantries were able to receive berries this year from Berry Best Farm due to the high number of pounds donated. York County food pantries and organizations that received the donated berries included: York County Shelter Programs Food Pantry in Alfred; St. Stephen’s Food Pantry in Waterboro; New Covenant Church Food Pantry in North Berwick; Table of Plenty Food Pantry, serving York, Kittery and Berwick; South Berwick Food Pantry; First Parish Church Congregational Food Pantry in Lebanon; and Gerry’s Food Pantry and the St. Charles Home, both in Rochester, New Hampshire.

The Bozaks said the weather this summer was perfect for growing blueberries, and rather than see the fruit go to waste unpicked, they decided to offer the second “Picking for the Pantries” day.