Canadians are always left with the feeling that summer is much too short. Our gardening season goes by quickly but it is often prolific, leaving us with an urgency to share the bounty of tomatoes, zucchinis, apples or kale with our family and friends. Sometimes we have so much we don’t know what to do with it! For your average fruit tree, only about a third is used and the rest fall to the ground and attract unwanted pests. The Leftovers Foundation is helping by rescuing excess produce from residents of Alberta and Manitoba and redirecting it to service agencies who work tirelessly every day to assist those facing food insecurity.
While our year-round Rescue Food program is aimed at redirecting excess food from retailers like grocery stores and bakeries, our Home Harvest program is a seasonal addition to our food rescue efforts. Using the same app-based system of mobilizing community volunteers who passionately collect food donations and deliver them straight to agencies all over our regions, we can gear our approach to residentially-grown food.
Our small team of City Coordinators are empowered to see volunteers signing up for the routes we create. Our dedicated Coordinators play a pivotal role in facilitating this seamless operation, managing the intricacies of volunteer scheduling and route optimization. Their expertise ensures that the surplus from individual gardens is efficiently collected and distributed, maximizing both the freshness of the produce and the impact of our efforts.
The Home Harvest program embodies a profound synergy between individual generosity and communal support. It transforms personal abundance into a shared resource, while simultaneously addressing the issue of food waste. This initiative not only fosters a culture of giving but also underscores the interconnectedness of our local ecosystems and communities.
Engagement in the Home Harvest program offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a more sustainable and equitable food system. By participating, gardeners and volunteers take part in a broader dialogue about resource allocation, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility.
We are proud to partner with local upcyclers like Next Friend Cider. Any fruit that is donated through our program that is not quite suitable for snacking or chopping up for pie can be used by this awesome company to create a product, ensuring that no food goes to waste.
For those interested, we invite you to learn more about Home Harvest or reach out to your local City Coordinator. Your involvement not only enriches the lives of others but also aligns with a larger movement towards a more resilient and compassionate society.
Together, we can turn the bounty of our gardens into a powerful force for good, fostering a more inclusive and sustainable future for all.
