UI Sophomore Has Helps Out by Going to Hy-Vee and Touching All The Apples to Make Sure They're Ripe

Looking after your nutrition is all the more important during a major public health crisis like COVID-19. Many in our IC community are not equipped with the resources or knowledge to keep a healthy diet during these difficult times, which is why this UI Sophomore Jackie Lemmings has stepped-up and spent her mornings in the Hy-Vee produce section touching every apple, banana, and vegetable with her hands to make sure they’re ripe.

“I knew I had to do something special,” said Lemmings. “Iowa City has given so much to us students, so why not give back by rifling through all this food and carefully examining it with my hands until I’m sure it’s okay to eat? Sometimes, I’ll gently breathe on the apples and rub them with my sweater so they’re nice and shiny. I’ve always been that way, pushing myself that extra mile to help others. It’s the same reason I sent that bottle of champagne to my Aunt Rachel to celebrate her fifth year of sobriety. Never heard back from her…”

Fruits and vegetables approved by Lemmings are stabbed with a large, rusty railroad spike so Hy-Vee customers can tell them apart from the unmarked, unripe items.

“It’s a simple system really,” said Lemmings. “In times of crisis, people don’t have the time or energy to sort through all the hubbub. Now, shoppers will know immediately if the item is good to eat when they see that it has been punctured, sometimes split completely open, by an incredibly large and septic nail. There’s no mistaking a Lemmings approved produce item!”

Amazing. UI students can take a page out of Jackie Lemmings book no matter where they may be located now. Hawkeyes: Let’s get up, get out, and go touch some people’s food together so they don’t have to.s