Waste Not, Rot Not
October 17th, 2008
To most people, the rotten fruit that falls from neighborhood trees onto streets and sidewalks is a moldy nuisance. To Katy Kolker and Sarah Cogan, it became a call to action.
During their walks around Portland a few years ago, the two women were struck by the amount of fruit decaying on the curbside at a time when many people in the area were going hungry. That wondered if there were a way to get neighborhood fruit into neighborhood bellies—and it turns out there is.
“There are lots of tree owners who are more than happy to share their fruit,” says Kolker.
What began as a small neighborhood project two summers ago, is now a full-scale, city-wide effort known as the Portland Fruit Tree Project.
Here’s how it works: Tree owners register their trees, and when the fruit is ripe, volunteers show up for a harvesting party. The organization also holds workshops on pruning and food preservation.
In 2007, volunteers harvested 3,400 pounds of fruit, half of which was donated to local food pantries. The other half went home with volunteers. The most common fruits in the program are apples, plums, Asian pears, and figs. The group has also harvested persimmons, apricots, peaches, and cherries.
Kolker is now working on securing funding for a part-time staff person to coordinate the project. And she’s heading up a new group harvest program that would bring out different agencies’ clients to pick fruit. She also recently started an outreach group with a local HUD program for low-income Latina mothers, and with Portland Impact, which serves low-income elderly and disabled adults.