A Frisco woman is leading a grass-roots effort to repurpose pumpkins most people toss in the trash.
With Christmas decorations cropping up on every corner, the pumpkin patch growing in Sherrie Salas’ front yard stands out.
“This is my hoard of gourds,” Salas said with a giggle.
Her bumper crop of pumpkins are all donated by people who used them as decorations.
Destined for dumpsters, soon they’ll serve a new purpose.
“They're going to throw them away anyway. They have nowhere to put them or use them,” Salas said, standing in front of about 600 pumpkins.
Why they are all there began with an idea Salas planted on social media to collect pumpkins for a friend’s nonprofit organization called My Pig-Filled Life in Wills Point. It’s a rescue for mini-pigs abandoned by their owners.
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“They love pumpkins, they love to eat it,” founder Melanie Moreau said.
Her farm has grown from one to nearly 300 pigs, all once neglected or abused they’re now living the "gourd" life.
“Mini-pig is actually a class for any pig under 300 pounds. The majority of them are somewhere around 120 to 125 pounds and people just don’t know what they're getting into. They have the intelligence of a 4-year-old child,” Moreau said.
Moreau said the pumpkins serve as a healthy snack and the calories help keep the pigs warm through winter.
Back in Frisco, with four truck-fulls already delivered, the pumpkins keep piling up.
"I'm collecting until Wednesday," Salas said. "Pray for me."
