Get Fresh Fruit And Fund 4-H Scholarships In Yellowstone County

The annual 4-H Yellowstone County fruit sale is underway, offering fresh fruit while supporting local youth. Proceeds from the sale fund 4-H scholarships, clubs, and workshops that teach valuable skills to children.

Maryjane Glynn
NonStop Local Multimedia Journalist

BILLINGS, Mont. – The annual 4-H Yellowstone County fruit sale is underway, offering fresh fruit while supporting local youth. Proceeds from the sale fund 4-H scholarships, clubs, and workshops that teach valuable skills to children.

The sale is also a competition among 4-H kids. Each year, the top fruit seller in the county wins $125. The second-place seller receives $100, third gets $75, and fourth and fifth place earn gift cards to the 4-H website.

Fruit boxes include 20 pounds of navel oranges, D’Anjou pears, ruby red grapefruits, and other Grade A fruits from across the country, including Texas and Washington. Orders are open now, with delivery scheduled for the second weekend of March.

Isabelle Brito, treasurer of the 4-H Shepherd Pioneers Club, has been the county’s top seller for the past three years. She shared her approach to success, saying, “I have a list of people, I have almost 100 people, maybe even more than 100 people on my list. And I’ll go up and I’ll call them, I’ll tell them who I am, what I’m doing, what am I a part of and if they bought before, I ask them if they like to buy again, then I’ll list through all the different fruits.”

Brito also expressed her love for the energy during the sale, stating, “I like selling fruit because I like seeing the joy on people’s faces when they get their fruit and a lot of them are really excited to get fresher fruit. Some of them are really excited to try new fruit but for me and I won’t be shy about this, I’m attracted to the money because there is a grant.”

The fruit sale runs until February. A full box costs $40, while a half box is priced at $20. Customers can also choose specific fruits they want. To purchase, call (406) 256-2828 or message the Yellowstone County 4-H page on Facebook.

This sale not only provides delicious fruit but also helps youth develop entrepreneurial skills.