Got fruit trees? Need fruit? Whether you have just a little or a lot of excess fruit that you need help picking, or you simply want fresh, local fruit to eat or preserve, the Sunshine Coast Fruit Tree Project is here to help.
Fruit is an incredibly abundant local and organic food resource on the Sunshine Coast – so much so that there aren’t nearly enough hands to pick and distribute what is grown. The Fruit Tree Project’s central mission is to fill this need.
The Fruit Tree Project organizes and trains volunteer pickers to pick fruit in our community that would otherwise go to waste. The harvest is split between fruit tree owners, volunteer pickers, the Fruit Tree Project itself, and donations to the Food Bank and others. The group harvests pesticide-free, organically grown fruit between the months of July and October from Gibsons to Pender Harbour.
By bringing people together over the task of harvesting fruit, the project is helping to reduce food waste, improving food security in our community, mitigating the risks of wildlife attractants, and offering an avenue to exchange knowledge and information on fruit tree care, harvesting, and fruit preserving.
How can you get involved this season?
1. Join the harvest. Volunteering with our project might mean coming to one pick to go home with a basket of apples for a weekend of making apple pies, or it could mean leading picks throughout the season.
2. Register your fruit tree. Contact organizers at [email protected] or send a message through the group’s Facebook page, Sunshine Coast Fruit Tree Project, indicating how you’d like to participate.
Want a “piece of the pie” but can’t volunteer? The group will be selling a portion of their fruit at Jean’s Organics this year to help support the project. They are also excited about collaborating with the Coast Community Canning Kitchen by providing fruit for some of their summer canning workshop series. Stay tuned!
