It kills me to see trees and gardens laden with fruit and produce going to rot. It’s such a waste!

A friend of mine was walking in Kerrisdale a few weeks back and came across a tree laden with beautiful Bing cherries that were ripe and as yet untouched by birds — a most unusual sight. There were a few branches overhanging the alley, so she and her partner sampled a handful — not only did they look good, they tasted amazing. A few days later, the cherries were still there, beckoning, with no harvesting efforts in evidence.

Being a good citizen, she curbed temptation and instead wrote a witty note offering to share the bounty if the home owners would allow her to harvest any fruit they didn’t want. She waited by the phone for days, but to no avail. A week later, the cherries were decimated, and the note she’d left under a rock on the porch was still there. Sadly, the home owners were clearly not in residence.

If you have a bounty of fruit or produce, or if your elderly neighbours are no longer able to harvest theirs, The Fruit Tree Project is just what you need.

It’s a basic, common sense idea: connect people who have excess fruit from their backyard fruit trees with those who have the time and energy to harvest it, all for a good cause.

Most of the harvested fruit is donated to community organizations and individuals in need. The Fruit Tree Project also partners with Community Kitchens and other local organizations that use the fruit in educational programs, such as the importance of fresh produce in a healthy diet, canning workshops, and other food security activities.

Skip the unnecessary guilt and bad karma — get on their list quick, before your fruit all rots on the ground!