Kids harvest back yard fruit and deliver to seniors in same neighborhood

The group is called PUEBLO (People United for a Better Life in Oakland), and they have come up with a brilliant idea. A two-year old program called Urban Youth Harvest brings together kids, produce, and seniors. Produce that would otherwise go to waste is given to those in need. The kids get paid and the seniors get nutritious food delivered to their door free of charge.

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Partnering with Cyclists for Change, our harvesters will bike to our donors’ back yards and, using fruit pickers, will harvest oranges, apples, plums, lemons, grapefruits, peaches, pears, figs and other locally grown delicious and nutritious fruits. They will then deliver the harvest to nearby low-income senior residences and day facilities where low-income seniors receive a variety of services. They will be provided with diabetic recipes that call for those fruits,as well as the fruit, fresh off the vine or tree! – Urban Youth Harvest

This is how you think outside the raised bed! I love this idea.

What if we could all maximize the output of produce in our gardens and give to organizations like this?

In the case of the Urban Youth Harvest they come to you. They will leave a percentage for the homeowner’s use. Show this site to your kids & neighbors. Talk about this with your gardening friends. Perhaps you or someone in your community would be interested in starting a program like this. I am going to see if there is a need for such a program in our area.

Tags: apples, community, cyclists for change, donate, excess fruit, figs, fruit, gardening, grapefruits, green, harvest, kids, lemons, oakland, oranges, peaches, pears, plums, program, pueblo, seniors, urban youth harvest, vegetable, waste, youth