Youngsters help harvest corn at Little Compton's Walker's Farm last week. They gathered over 400 ears for Katrina refugees.

LITTLE COMPTON — A taste of Little Compton's late summer harvest greeted Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Middletown twice in the past two weeks. The first cargo arrived in a nine-passenger van packed to the ceiling with fresh-picked corn and tomatoes from Coll Walker's Main Road farm.

The recipients were surprised and thrilled by the bounty, according to Little Compton resident Polly Allen who organized the collection and delivery.

Although there has been an outpouring of support for the New Orleans evacuees here, "their eyes really lit up when they saw the fresh corn and tomatoes. They were very grateful," she said.

Ms. Allen said the inspiration came from a couple of directions.

"I used to work at Walker's and remembered that there would sometimes be excess vegetables at the end of summer." She called and Mr. Walker said he would be happy to provide corn and tomatoes if she could supply the pickers.

As a Girl Scout leader, she said she had access to some young and willing workers. The Scouts (girls and boys) were joined by parents and friends, and together the volunteers gathered 400 ears of corn and "lots of tomatoes."

They then lugged the produce to Middletown where the Red Cross provided them with the house address numbers of people who would welcome the fresh food. Youngsters took the bagged corn and tomatoes door-to-door in wagons.

They were happy to see the food — fresh, not packaged or frozen — and pleased that people from this town they had never heard of took the time to help.

One recipient looked at the delivery and exclaimed, "Oh' it's not in a can."

Another woman mentioned that her daughter wants to be a Girl Scout and was excited to see other youngsters her age.

And they learned that you don't have to be hurricane victim to need help. The volunteers were steered to a Rhode Island woman who was sitting out front of a food pantry with six children — she went home with fresh Little Compton vegetables too.

Last Wednesday, the volunteers were back with more, this time from Walker's Farm, Young Farm and Wishing Stone Farm. Members of the After School program pitched in as well.

Ms. Allen said she hopes for more deliveries in coming weeks and added that any farm, fisherman or others with produce to offer is welcome to help.