Author: Alice Johnson, Citizen Journalist

“I just dropped off 7 boxes of bokchoy, 1 of pole beans, 3 of apples and 4 of pears at the Food Bank!  People were diving in and filling their bags. Good work, everyone.  I wish you could have been there to see the wonderful results of your hard work.”
So says Janet Cram, one of the driving forces behind the STOP Fruit Drop project, after delivering the produce picked by a group of dedicated volunteers one warm September evening to the Sidney food bank.

Have you ever wondered how you might get extra fruit and produce to those who really need and appreciate it? Well, so did Ed Johnson and Kathi Lowe of the Farmlands Trust and Janet Cram of LEAD (Local Environmental Action Divas), so they teamed up,  recruited a few of their group members and started looking for home owners with an overabundance of ripening fruit. Soon word had spread, and they were busy two or three times a week harvesting the bounty of our Peninsula’s trees and gardens.  Anywhere from 3 to 10 volunteers show each time and do their best to pick the trees clean.

As Ed Johnson explains the nuts and bolts programme, “The general idea with the Drop Fruit Program is that the home owner gets a third, the food bank another third, and the pickers the remaining third.”  Many of those involved, however, are primarily  interested in ensuring others receive the fruit rather than taking any for themselves, as Johnson adds, “In practice, however, the home owners and the pickers take very little, leaving over three quarters or more for the local food banks. Recipients of this bounty have been the Sidney Lions Food Bank, Beacon Services of Sidney and Brentwood Bay, and Our Place in downtown Victoria. A smaller portion is sold locally to help defray liability insurance and tool expenses.”

Debbie Chu has helped out several times with the picking. “I’m so glad it’s not being wasted. Gleaning is great, my Gramma used to do it,” she said, referring to the age- old practice of  allowing others to come in and pick the remaining produce once the owners had taken what they wanted.

Homeowners are thrilled with the results as well. Anne Ilott of North Saanich was so impressed with the job the volunteers did picking her yellow plum tree that she phoned the next day to offer her thanks. “We were so impressed with the job the team did, not one plum was left on the tree. They even picked up any unusable fruit and put in the barrel”. She added that she is so grateful that this service is offered as she and her husband find it hard to pick all the fruit and she hates to see it unused. “We so appreciate the work that is being done and that someone who needs it is getting the fruit.”

While the team is happy to pick fruit and deliver it to the food bank for those who need the help, Janet Cram suggested that any homeowner with excess produce can drop it off themselves to any of the above mentioned community services organizations. They may wish to call ahead to ensure staff are present to receive the boxes.

Volunteers are always needed as the Stop Fruit Drop project grows and anyone interested can contact Janet at 250-652-4625, as can homeowners with trees needing attention.

Share/Bookmark