In 2012 I started volunteering with an organization in Toronto called Not Far From the Tree.
Established in 2008, NFFTT connects people through fruit. There are so many fruit trees in Toronto growing in backyards (and front yards) all over the city, many that were planted decades ago by previous homeowners. There are mulberries, cherries, apricots, elderberries, black walnuts, apples, pears, elderberries, plums, and more! Before NFFTT, thousands of pounds of beautiful, edible fruit would go to waste because the current homeowners were not able to keep up with it, didn’t know what to do with it, or had no interest in it. In came Laura Reinsborough with an idea: connect those homeowners with people who want to pick and share that fruit. It was a simple, but brilliant idea that connected a community and turned the city into an abundant urban orchard.
I volunteered as a fruit picker and as a pick leader. The experience was rewarding in so many ways: I got to meet so many great people, visit neighbourhoods all over the city, train my eyes to recognize fruit trees all over the place, and of course, I got to take home pounds and pounds of delicious fruit! Having all of that fruit at my disposal led to an interest in learning home preservation techniques like dehydrating, fermentation, and canning, as well as an interest in foraging. What a gift!
In 2015, we moved out of the city to Durham Region. When I was able to, I continued to volunteer with NFFTT, but I wondered if there could be a similar organization here in the suburbs. Eight years, two kids, and a global pandemic later, I decided to just do it. The Fruitful Connections project was inspired by, and modeled after Not Far From the Tree. We connect homeowners with volunteers who pick the fruit and share it three ways:
1/3 for the homeowner, 1/3 for the volunteers to share, and 1/3 for a local social service agency (food banks, meal programs, community kitchens, etc.)
If you live in/near Durham Region, Ontario, love fruit, enjoy meeting people, getting fresh air and exercise, and/or if you’re a homeowner with a fruit tree on your property that you’d like help harvesting, we welcome you to join Fruitful Connections!