New Harvest Share co-ordinator Clayton Fenrick said that the annual drive to spread the Creston Valley’s fruit and vegetable wealth is going well.
“It’s crazy what grows in the Creston Valley,” he said. “We’ve had all kinds of fresh food to pick and distribute.”
Fenrick took over the program in July, replacing longtime co-ordinator Alexandra Dansereau, who is furthering her education. The Prince Charles Secondary School grad returned to Creston after taking a two-year business program and spending a year working on Vancouver Island.
“Since I started I’ve been getting everything organized, picking donations of cherries, pears, plums and getting to know the agencies involved.”
Harvest Share is operated by Creston Valley Food Action Coalition and was started to help ensure backyard fruit trees didn’t go unpicked. Volunteers harvest the fruit in return for a third of the fruit, a third goes to the property owner and the remainder is distributed to Gleaners, social programs, the Therapeutic Activation Program for Seniors and churches. It’s a win-win program that puts backyard bounty to good use and reduces bear attractants.
Fenrick has been a familiar sight at the Creston Valley Farmers’ Market, where he spreads the word about Harvest Share, inviting volunteers to sign up for the harvest efforts.
“In a perfect world, Harvest Share wouldn’t be necessary,” he said. “All the food we grow would be put to good use and no one would be hungry.”
He said one of the many Harvest Share benefits is “making donors feel like they are part of the community” by ensuring excess fruit is used for people who might struggle to put food on the table.
Among the challenges that Fenrick copes with is trying to get freshly picked fruit into the hands of people who need it.
“We picked about 2,000 pounds of pears in a two-day period recently, which is a lot of fruit to deal with in a short time,” he admitted.
But temporary storage provided by the Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce and St. Stephen’s Presbyterian Church helped keep the pears in good shape until they could be distributed.
Harvest Share has spread to include more than backyard fruit trees over the years. Some commercial orchards donate fruit and farmers invite volunteers to harvest vegetables, too.
While some of the produce is distributed for immediate consumption, some organizations make pies and dry or can the fruit for later use. Some is used for school lunch programs.
“It’s great how well the program is supported,” Fenrick said.
To volunteer or donate to Harvest Share, contact Clayton Fenrick at 250-254-1165 or crestonharvestshare@gmail.com.