With an early season for fruit this year comes a greater need for volunteers to ensure the fresh food is not wasted.
That is where the Alberni Valley Gleaning Project comes in.
Established five years ago by Heather Shobe, the concept is a win-win situation for the community.
The idea is to send volunteers to homeowners who have an abundance of fruit to pick, with one-third of the harvest going to the volunteer, one-third to the homeowner and the remaining distributed as a charitable donation.
Shobe welcomed Sarah Thomas on board this year to assist with coordination of the project. Her goal is to assign pick leaders and volunteers early in the season so fruit can be picked while it is ripe and avoid it being left to waste or for bears on the ground.
“Ideally we want homeowners to call before the fruit is ready so we can catch it while it is ripe,” Shobe said.
“It becomes a deer and bear hazard so we want to prevent it from rotting on the ground.”
The project is especially helpful for homeowners who are physically unable to pick the fruit or if they do not have the time or equipment. Shobe said it is also a beneficial job for volunteers.
“I find they enjoy the camaraderie built around it,” Shobe said.
“But they are also learning things about trees and gardening and there is a lot of talk about recipes.
There is no commitment on the part of volunteers, who range from those who just want some extra seasonal fruit once in awhile to those who help every week in the peak of the summer. Shobe said there will be an abundance of fruit this year and extra volunteers will be needed.
She said she has heard from many community members who feel strongly that local fruit should not go to waste. As a result, a few changes have been made to ensure the viability of the project.
Shobe and Thomas have secured a central location at the Dry Creek Community Garden to store equipment, meet volunteers and use as a distribution site. They are also implementing a sliding scale membership fee to help support the project.
A volunteer information session will be held at Dry Creek Community Garden on June 28 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. for anyone interested in helping.
Those interested can call Thomas at 778-679-2303 or e-mail albernivalleygleaning@gmail.com.
A sign up form for volunteers is also online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FFV8KGW.
