By Brett Nolan
The Mandarin Community Club is once again inviting the public to savor the taste of Florida while supporting two important causes. The club’s Florida Citrus Fundraiser returns this fall, giving residents a chance to pre-order fresh, Florida-grown fruit and help both the historic club and the state’s embattled citrus growers.
Last year’s fundraiser moved more than 3,300 pounds of Florida citrus into homes and businesses.
Florida’s citrus industry has taken a severe beating in recent decades as the state battles citrus greening, a devastating bacterial disease also known as Huanglongbing. Production that once reached 300 million boxes of citrus in the early 2000s has plummeted to roughly 14 million boxes in recent years.
A stronger partnership for greater impact
This year the Mandarin Community Club is partnering with the Florida Farm Bureau Federation, a nonprofit that works directly with the state’s farming industry and serves as the largest voice for Florida agriculture. The collaboration brings additional citrus options, lower prices and a higher impact: a portion of the proceeds will go directly to support the state’s remaining groves.
Every purchase also benefits the Mandarin Community Club itself. Founded in 1923, the historic nonprofit continues to serve the Mandarin community and acts as caregiver to one of North Florida’s most historically significant buildings — the 1872 Mandarin Schoolhouse.
Deep roots in Mandarin’s citrus past
The fundraiser also celebrates Mandarin’s own citrus heritage. An 1879 Jacksonville newspaper article reported that 25,000 orange trees stood between Beauclerc Bluff and the Mandarin Post Office, an area of about four miles, with 3,500 of them already bearing fruit.
New varieties and innovative growing methods
Shoppers will find expanded choices this season. Options include classic Florida navel oranges, satsuma mandarins grown in North Florida groves, and red grapefruit produced under the Citrus Under Protective Screens (CUPS) program.
Trees are grown inside large, screened structures that keep out the Asian citrus psyllid, the insect that spreads the disease. The red grapefruit offered this year ranks among the first large-scale CUPS harvests available to the public.
For those who prefer a smaller selection, a combo box containing all three varieties — navels, satsumas and red grapefruit — will be available.
Convenient ordering, pickup and shipping
Pre-orders run from September through November. Families are encouraged to take advantage of the lower prices on 10-pound bags of Florida navels, Florida red grapefruit or Florida satsuma mandarins this year by ordering online. Direct payment options will also be available at Mandarin Community Club events and at the Mandarin Markets on Sept. 26 and Oct. 24 at 2955 Orange Picker Road.
Those who prefer to pick up their orders can do so on the evening of Friday, Dec. 4, during the annual award-winning Mandarin Community Christmas Tree Lighting at the club. Families are invited to kick off the holiday season at the historic site while collecting their citrus.
Businesses interested in bulk purchases can contact the club directly.
Brett Nolan is the vice president of the Mandarin Community Club.
