fruit!!! (Portland: low income, home, to buy)

[Dwayne Lassiter]

I have a small urban orchard that is overflowing with plums, apples, pears, etc. I'm looking for a benevolent organization that will come and pick for charity at no cost. Portland Fruit Tree Project used to do it, but isn't doing it this year. Gleaners specifically doesn't do it, according to their website (they point to the PFTP). Anyone around that wants to give away a lot of fruit? No, I'm not looking for people to come an pick for themselves ...

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I don't have any ideas. I would have said The Gleaners, but of they don't want it, I am out of ideas.

I suggest you go to Home Orchard Society, online, and see if anyone there has any suggestions. That's the forum for home fruit growers in the PNW, concentrated in Portland.


Did you call the food bank to see if they have anyone they can send out to get it? it seems a shame to waste it all when low income people can't afford to buy fruit for their kids.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Another suggestion: call the senior center. That is where Meals On Wheels is organized and maybe they would have someone who could come out and pick it.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

I went through the same thing a couple of years ago and found out that no "organization" will come out and pick fruit.

If you want to pick, sort, wash, package and deliver though, they will gladly take it.

I guess it's the fact that there is so much fruit grown around here, they're not desperate for any.

[Dwayne Lassiter]

Portland Fruit Tree Project used to pick fruit an give it away. In fact, their main motive is providing fruit to the needy. But on their website, they now say that because of a "restructuring", they're having a harvest hiatus this year. Um, so their prime mission is on hold while they figure out how to restructure?

Senior Center is a good idea, though we're talking about a ton of fruit.

I had never heard of the Home Orchard Society. Thank you.

[Hawk J]

Perhaps, give St. Vincent De Paul a call. They may have an idea which will be helpful to you.

https://www.google.com/search?source...k1.1wOqTXhmPcg

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by Hawk J

Perhaps, give St. Vincent De Paul a call. .......

That's a good suggestion. St Vinny's runs a good food bank and they have an excellent force of hard-working volunteers.

I've got (or rather just sold) over 50 fruit trees and planned to pick them myself and do the farmer's market. Then any extra to the food bank.

I was growing rare heritage apples and figured they would sell well, but the birds tended to clean me out and I was lucky to get enough fruit for my own family. Inconsiderate buggers would go around the tree and take one bite out of each piece of fruit, ruining all of it. If I wanted any, I had to pick it before it was fully ripe because the birds would start eating it when it was still green and hard.

[Merrily Gather]

Well I wish I could come pick all the fruit for myself and my friends. I know they'd love it and I'm a well seasoned cherry tree picker on my Grandpa's farm.

[pdxmilw]

The Portland Fruit Tree Project ran out of money. So the question about restructuring is really a question of "will they exist in the future."