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Stopping fruit drop on the Saanich Peninsula

A Peninsula group is taking to Saanich Peninsula yards once again this year to help homeowners deal with excess fruit
55363sidneyPNRStopFruitDropsubmitted
Stop Fruit Drop is a local group of volunteers dedicated to assisting homeowners who are unable to handle picking the volume of fruit or vegetables in their gardens and yards. The group is looking for pickers and homeowners for this summer’s crops.

A Peninsula group is taking to Saanich Peninsula yards once again this year to help homeowners deal with excess fruit and keep charities brimming with fresh goods this summer and fall.

Stop Fruit Drop, a local group dedicated to saving local summer fruit from going to waste, enlists the help of volunteer pickers to assist homeowners who are unable to handle the volume of fruit or vegetables in their gardens and yards. Stop Fruit Drop then shares the produce three ways: with the homeowner (if he or she is interested), with the pickers and a handful of charities in the community.

“This year we’ll be donating fruit to local food banks, schools, Beacon Community Services stores, Our Place and local church kitchens,” said organizer Thea Revoy, adding that most of the time, homeowners and volunteers offer up their shares to charity.

“Its a great program and there’s so much fruit around it’s a great way to make sure it doesn’t go to waste,” she said.

The group will begin picking soon and extend their efforts through summer and fall.

“We picked a lot of fruit last year from over fifty properties on the Peninsula,” said last year’s organizer, Janet Cram. “With more volunteers, we hope to top that.”

The group is currently looking to top up their volunteer list as well as start planning picks at local properties.

“Our hope is that we will have enough new volunteers to form a group of pickers for the Sidney and North Saanich area and another for the Central Saanich and Saanichton area,” said Cram.

Anyone who is interested in volunteering with Stop Fruit Drop or who is interested in having Stop Fruit Drop attend their property can contact Revoy at 250-508-7280 or teyavl@shaw.ca.