Vancouver Fruit Tree Project

The Vancouver Fruit Tree Project Society is dedicated to harvesting and sharing neighbourhood fruit.

Volunteers

Volunteers harvest extra fruit from backyard fruit trees and redistribute it to community groups. In the past 12 years they have picked more than 35,000 pounds of fruit and redistributed it to community centres, neighbourhood houses, day cares, and other community groups.

Fruit picking season begins in late July or early August. Email info@vancouverfruittree.com to join their volunteer mailing list and stay in touch.

There are many volunteer positions available, including fruit pickers (families and kids welcome), delivery drivers, bike delivery drivers, fundraisers, social media assistants, and more. Check out the Fruit Project's volunteer page for more information on all the options.

Tree Owners

Fruit tree owners are a key part of the Vancouver Fruit Tree Project. Your trees help feed people in the community. Here’s how it works:

• They bring volunteers, ladders, and picking equipment.
• They provide transportation to deliver the harvest to community groups afterwards.
• You can arrange to be home when the harvest happens, or tell them when they should come.
• You can tell them how many pounds of fruit to leave on your porch after the harvest.
• They are offering VFTP Memberships for $25, and members’ trees will be our priority for scheduled picks. Becoming a member entitles you to have one tree harvested.

The Vancouver Tree Project is becoming more popular every year. The number of people requesting their services has increased, but their funding remains the same. As a charitable organization, they need your assistance. Membership funds and donations keep the organization viable by paying for operational costs. Coordinator’s wages, vehicles, equipment, insurance, and gasoline all add up and they need your assistance to keep up the good work. Becoming a member entitles you to have one tree harvested; if you would like more than one tree harvested, they request an additional $10 for smaller trees and $20 for larger ones. If you are unable to pay, or would like to pay a smaller amount, they still want to hear from you.
    
Other Projects

The Vancouver Fruit Tree Project’s priority is to connect fruit tree owners with volunteers who want to rescue unpicked fruit. They’ll reach out to more than 100 tree owners and 180 volunteers to pick thousands of pounds of fruit this year. But they’re also working on other projects:

• Selling galettes (apple tarts) at the Farmer’s Market.
• Training for people interested in being a pick leader or driver for fruit picks.
• Bike trailer training: learn to drive the big cargo trailer!
• Equipment upgrading and repair project.
• Participating in outreach events like the Main Street Festival and more.

If you are interested in any of these projects or have other ideas that might suit the society, please contact them:

The Vancouver Fruit Tree Project

Phone: 604-689-4446
Web: www.vancouverfruittree.com
Email: info@vancouverfruittree.com