FruitShare

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Due to unexpected circumstances, all fruit tree services (pruning, pest control, fertilizing) have been suspended until further notice. We share your disappointment, but we hope to resume these services in March 2024. Time will tell. We do expect that fruit harvests will take place as usual – from June to October – so stay tuned here or via GULB’s newsletter for updates and details about FruitShare activities in 2024. This program is very special to GULB and our local food community. Thank you for your interest! To make a donation in support of FruitShare, click here.

FruitShare partners with fruit tree owners and community volunteers to harvest and distribute fruit that would otherwise go to waste.

Harvest Calendar

What is FruitShare?

We lead small groups of volunteers to harvest the fruit from previously neglected trees (homeowners yards, orchards, etc.), organizing 20+ harvests per week during our peak season! 

The fresh fruit is then split up between the homeowners, volunteers and the Green Urban Lunch Box, where we redistribute the fruit within the community. See below for more specific examples of where this fresh fruit goes! 

Why?

Food Waste: In the Salt Lake Valley, thousands of fruit trees grow in homeowners’ backyards, collectively producing hundreds of thousands of pounds of fresh fruit each year. Due to the amount of attention fruit trees require, much of this fruit falls to the ground and goes to waste! Food waste is one of the leading causes of climate change and by reducing the amount of fruit that rots on the ground, we can eliminate a portion of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. 

Health Inequity: Additionally, 373,850 people are food insecure in Utah, meaning they do not have adequate resources to purchase nutritionally dense foods. Since the coronavirus pandemic started, we have watched the need for food assistance increase significantly. It is forecasted that the number of food insecure Utahns will increase by an additional 165,000 individuals. According to the Center for Disease Control, “Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables daily can help reduce the risk of many leading causes of illness and death, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and obesity”. These problems are serious and we are committed to combating them at a local level.

Where does the fruit go?

Quick
Stats 2021

3000

Trees registered in the program

50

Volunteers (Mostly recurring)

20000

Pounds of fruit harvested in 2021

400

Volunteer Hours Contributed in 2021

How It Works - Tree Owners

1. Register your fruit trees.

Register your tree here. Additional tree care services are offered to registered trees for a small fee.

2. Request a scout.

Request a scout online 1-2 weeks before your tree is ready to be harvested. Check out our Fruit Guides to help determine the best time to request a scout.

We scout upwards of 20 trees a day, and schedule based on location. When you request a scout you are signing up for a range of time, and can expect us anytime within that range. 

3. Your tree will be scouted.

A staff member will come out and assess the accessibility and fruit load of your tree. Then the scout will determine the best time to harvest your tree, and you will receive an email notification when your tree is scheduled (or possibly that your request for harvest was denied and your tree added to the waitlist).

4. Fruit is harvested and put towards hunger relief.

A group of volunteers will come and harvest as much fruit as we can! Please note: we are sometimes unable to harvest the entire tree, especially those that are over 20ft. 

Questions about our program? See our FAQ (coming soon!) or contact our FruitShare Harvest Coordinator at pickfruit@gulb.org

How to Support FruitShare

Subscribe to our FruitShare tree care program.

We offer pruning and fertilizing services for a small fee to homeowners registered in the FruitShare program. These services improve the health of trees and provide more abundant, higher quality fruit to donate to hunger relief.

IMG_3102
FEF051AE-BD3E-4E66-9F0D-DBEDC36BD2BF (1)
IMG_6776

Join the volunteer team!

We love our volunteers and would love to have you join us! There are many ways you can volunteer–from picking fruit to helping in a garden to sitting on a committee.