Earth Rescue

From 1998 to 2006 Earth Matters ran the Fruit Tree Project, which connected Nelson and area fruit tree owners who couldn't harvest all their fruit with community members who could use the fruit. In 2007, Harvest Rescue continues the work of that project but has expanded to include gleaning from backyard gardens and local farms.

This year, between July and November, Harvest Rescue will coordinate volunteers to pick fruits and vegetables that would otherwise end up as compost or bear bait, and distribute them among social service agencies in our region. Later in the summer Harvest Rescue will host community food preservation workshops.

We are a volunteer driven project. Our goal is to increase access for everyone to fresh, locally grown food, as well as reduce waste, the potential for bear-human conflict and our reliance on food requiring long-haul transportation. We hope this project will encourage local food sourcing and greater community support for our local farmers.

Harvest Rescue is a joint project of Earth Matters and the Nelson Food Cupboard Society. In 2007 it is overseen directly by the www.foodcupboard.org and funded by a Columbia Basin Trust youth grant.

For more information for Pickers and Fruit Tree/Garden Owners click here. There are also updated resources available for download here.