FRUIT HEIGHTS, Utah — In Fruit Heights, fruit is a part of their history, but this spring they’ve been dealing with some intense weather.
Farmers like Chris Healey, who is the operations manager at Manning Orchards, have dealt with crazy seasons before, but this year was different.
“The peachlettes had made it so far in advance they were about pea size,” Healey explained. "That’s pretty far for the season already, they can be a little cold resistant that way, but we recorded a low of 24.8 degrees here for about an hour and a half, and that kind of cold, it’s hard to fight that.”
The frost last week killed all their crops. He has more than 1200 plants across their 16-acre property. They’re well known for their peaches and cherries.
It’s been stressful for Healey and his family. This orchard is their livelihood, and this freeze sets them back for the whole season.
What he didn’t know was that his own neighbors were looking out for him and his family. They started a GoFundMe and have already raised more than $45,000 in less than a week.
“We love the Mannings, we love them almost as much as we love their peaches,” one neighbor Chelsea Swain said.
Fruit Heights is literally nicknamed “the city of good neighbors.” It turns out, they’re even sweeter than the fruit too.
“We’ve lived here for nearly 40 years and it’s just blessed our lives to have them there,” another neighbor, Bryan Ostermiller said.
Healey said they always try to be a welcoming place for others to come, but he didn’t realize how special Manning Orchards is to everyone.
“For them to come together and give love and support, big or small. To open back up and give back support, I just wasn’t expecting it,” Healey said.
An unexpected end to their season made for unexpected connections. It’s something Healey said he’s so thankful for and he’ll remember when the fruits of their labor are ripe next year.
“The community is something else when they lift you up.” Healey said.
