Philanthropy Solves the Harvest Help Dilemma at Lenox Ranch

Call it an “everyone wins” situation. Mike and Christine Lenox got help with a five thousand pound harvest. The North Valleys High School band got a $3,000 donation. Everyone got a day in the sun and fresh air.

This was the third year high school students from Reno volunteered to pick grapes for the couple from Silver Springs. The deal is facilitated each time by philanthropic friends who pledge a hundred dollars per kid. Mark and Jeannie O’Doan sponsor the kids, and cap their annual donation at $3,000. Story continues below.

Students and parents from North Valleys High School on harvest day, 2019 at Lenox Ranch in Silver Springs. Photo courtesy of Christine Lenox

“I think we had 30 or 35 kids,” said Christine Lenox.” Parents pitched in too. Some family and friends showed up, boosting the crew to 60 or 70, she estimated.

“Its a blessing,” Lenox told Grape Basin News. “I don’t know how we’d do it without them because we’re producing so much now.”

The Lenox Ranch harvest tradition includes a food and wine pairing for the grownups after the work wraps up, Lenox says. Estate-grown Riesling was paired with lemon pie. There was also Chardonnay and fruit. Merlot and Pinot Noir were served with cheese and meat samples.

The 2019 harvest at Lenox Ranch took about five hours, excluding time out for lunch. It weighed in at 5,380 pounds. The donation from the O’Doans will pay to replace band equipment that was stolen. The O’Doans have known Mike Lenox for years.