Got Fruit?

Happy New Year! I hope you’ve enjoyed some well-deserved rest and relaxation and are ready to take on 2017 like we are. Which, at Veggielution, means through community food and farming. Beginning this month, we are excited to launch Neighborhood Harvest, a new program that prevents urban food waste and connects people. With generous support from The Health Trust, we will continue the good work started by our friends at Garden to Table to farm our bountiful San Jose urban food forest.

In our very own neighborhoods, there is juicy, local fruit falling to the ground rather than being enjoyed at our tables. Our Neighborhood Harvest team will bring local residents together to harvest and share community fruit, all the while mitigating food waste. By volunteering a few hours on a Saturday morning, volunteers can meet new people, build leadership skills and be an important part of the growing urban food recovery movement.

Over the course of the next year, Veggielution expects to harvest and distribute more than 18,000 pounds of fresh fruit from trees throughout central and East San Jose´. So where will all that good food go? We’ll donate recovered fruit to local food pantries and organizations such as Recovery Cafe San Jose, where individuals seek stability and community connection in various aspects of their lives including healthy eating. You’ll also be able to find Neighborhood Harvest fruit at our farm stand, staffed every Saturday from 10–2 by our Mayfair Grown fellows. Middle school students visiting us on field trips will taste test the fruit and it will be featured in community cooking classes.

The United Nations calls for halving food waste and reducing food losses globally by 2030. We’re up for the challenge. Volunteer for an upcoming harvest event, let us know about a fruit tree ready for gleaning, or support us with a financial contribution at www.veggielution.org.