An estimated 60,000 lbs of fresh fruit from local fruit trees goes to waste every year in Vancouver’s backyards. This is fruit that could be used to feed people in need in our community and provide a local source of free fresh fruit instead of having it shipped from other parts of Canada or the world.
The Vancouver Fruit Tree Project (VTFP) is a community-based, non-profit, registered charity that works to strengthen food security, build community and enhance urban ecology using local fruit. Our goals are to:
- Harvest and help care for our fruit trees throughout Vancouver by connecting those who have excess fruit on their properties with those who have the time, energy and resources to harvest it.
- Share the bounty of fruit with those affected by poverty and with community organizations that provide food and education to alleviate poverty and hunger in our community.
- Preserve and share valuable skills such as preserving produce and the importance of fruits and vegetables to people’s health and nutrition.
- Exploit local resources for fruit to offset the requirement of shipping fruit from other areas thus reducing the carbon emissions.
VFTP began in 1999 with 50 community members picking 2,000 lbs of fruit. In our peak year, 2006, VFTP worked with over 50 tree owners and 60 volunteers to harvest 5,000 lbs of fruit from backyards throughout Vancouver. In total, the VFTP has harvested over 20,000 lbs of fruit over the last 9 years. Harvested fruit is donated to community organizations such as neighbourhood houses and community kitchens that distribute food to people in need, either directly or through educational programs. VFTP’s main challenge is the transportation and equipment required to harvest the fruit. Currently, due to lack of transportation and logistical support, we are harvesting from only 30% of the fruit trees in our database.
Any funds we receive are used to add equipment and resources to increase the amount of fruit we pick and distribute. With transportation as one of our main concerns, we still manage to minimize this requirement by delivering fruit to partners situated as closely as possible to the trees from which the fruit is harvested. In doing so, we not only minimize food miles and the economic & environmental costs incurred, we also help to build the community by connecting individuals and organizations in their own communities.
