The Prairie Sun Seed festival hosted many presentations on different aspects of local food production. One such presentation was by Grow 'n' Share, a new initiative to use excess fruit on trees in the city to good use.
The program works by connecting people who own fruit trees they're unable to harvest with volunteers who will pick the fruit explains Shannon Hilton, organizer for Grow 'n' Share. The resulting harvest is then split three ways, with a third going to the owner, a third to the volunteers, and a third to the food bank.
"It's a win-win for everybody. The people who have trees they're not utilizing, they get their yard cleaned up from apples falling down, they get to see their produce being used, and they get a share. The volunteers get a share for helping, and the community gets a share to be used in a way that's needed," Hilton notes.
She says that this isn't the first such program that has been implemented, with programs in Toronto and Regina doing the same service for their residents.
There is a need for the service in the community, Hilton says, as many residents are unable to use everything their trees produce.
"Just from walking down back alleys we see trees that are going unpicked, and from talking to people today we hear of elderly people who aren't able to climb ladders anymore, and are left cleaning up at the end of the season. For people who don't know what to do with the produce or can't use all of it, it's a great way to take advantage of the resource and not let it go to waste," Hilton observes.
Those interested in learning more about the program, either registering a tree or volunteering, can visit http://www.grow-n-share.blogspot.com to become part of the program.
