While the COVID-19 restrictions across B.C. are gradually being lifted, the need to address food security is more pressing than ever.
Lack of job security and economic uncertainty have meant that more and more residents are struggling to put food on their tables on a daily basis. At the same time, tonnes of edible food is thrown into Metro Vancouver landfills every year.
Earthwise Society is actively recruiting new volunteers to help with its Shared Harvest Program that helps keep food out of landfills and puts it into the hands of the people who need it the most.
Earthwise is the lead agency in the Delta Food Coalition, a network of community groups working together to help decrease hunger, increase local food security and improve the overall nutritional health in the community.
Shared Harvest is a food security initiative that reaches out to homeowners who have excess fruit in their home gardens, but are not able to harvest it all. Earthwise coordinates volunteers to help pick the fruit, which would otherwise go to waste.
Some of the collected produce is shared with the homeowners and volunteers, and the rest is distributed to local families in need. Through this program, thousands of pounds of fruit in Delta is harvested annually and put on the tables of needy families.
The Delta Food Coalition also works with the local farm community to distribute excess farm produce to those in need.
Summertime is harvest season in Delta, and we are fortunate enough to be surrounded with plenty of ripe fruit trees. However, to keep up with the supply, Earthwise needs help from the community, and fruit pickers are in high demand.
Volunteers may commit as much time as they would like. Everything makes a difference.
If you would like to volunteer your time, knowing that you will be playing a crucial role in helping to redistribute potentially wasted food within our community, contact Earthwise Society at [email protected].
