BOISE, Idaho (AP) - One week ago, Joe Prin got a bad surprise.
The Cathedral of the Rockies’ building superintendent and founder of its First Fruits community orchard discovered that three of the 22 fruit trees he’d just bought with grants and donations had been stolen from the church parking lot.
One was a cherry tree that was part of a four-tree family memorial for a child killed by a drunken driver.
Prin didn’t have to wait long for good things to come from bad.
News reports got the word out about the theft. That very evening, Prin got a call from Edwards Greenhouse.
“They said they’d donate back the exact missing trees. We were instantly made whole,” said Prin.
His phone kept ringing. A to Z Sprinklers and Landscaping and Cloverdale Nursery called and offered six more fruit trees.
Not long after that, a man stopped by the orchard and handed Prin a check for $250. Then a second man stopped by with his own $250 donation. A woman visiting the Idaho State Capitol walked over to the cathedral from the Statehouse and handed Prin a $20 bill.
“She said she just wanted to be part of it,” said Prin.
More people offered help.
“It’s turned into that biblical message of getting back 10 times what you give. In this case, we’re getting back 10 times what was taken,” said Prin.
The volunteer efforts continue. A-Core Concrete Cutting was on site Wednesday, cutting stone salvaged from the 2004 remodeling of the cathedral into plaques to stand at the base of each tree, listing its common and botanical name.
So far, 23 baby fruit trees are planted on the First Fruits lot at Fort and 11th Streets in Boise’s North End. That includes the four memorial trees in the center. Planting will continue Thursday, thanks to student volunteers from nearby Boise High.
One more bit of good news: Tuesday morning, Prin accepted a $1,000 grant check from the Boise Sunrise Rotary Club to pay for an irrigation system.
“I have great respect for Joe. He and his wife taught a class on simple living at our church. It put me and my wife on a different path,” said John Lodal, a Rotary member who championed First Fruits through the grant process.
“If it all works out, this orchard will do good things for the community long after we’re gone.”
Volunteer crews started laying paths of recycled concrete in the empty lot owned by the church last December.
The goal is to create a beautiful and useful public space that one day will grow into a free food source.
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Information from: Idaho Statesman, https://www.idahostatesman.com
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