It’s a bumper year for fruit in Pemberton. And thanks to the Stewardship Pemberton Society’s (SPS) Fruit Tree Project, thousands of pounds of apples, plums and pears are making their way to local families instead of going to waste.
Since June, volunteers with the project have harvested 3,000 pounds of fruit. Roughly one-third of the fruit is donated to the Pemberton Food Bank, while the rest is shared between homeowners and volunteers.
“This year has been quite a massive year for fruit,” said SPS coordinator Nikki Lax. “With food being so expensive, people are more conscious of what it means to have fresh, local produce on your table and to make sure we’re not missing the opportunity to feed members of our community.”
Crabapples to community-wide
The Fruit Tree Project launched in 2016 as the "Crabapple Project," harvesting ornamental crabapple trees along Portage Road to reduce bear attractants and, occasionally, turn the fruit into delicious crabapple jelly.
“It was the very first food security project that Stewardship Pemberton dipped its toes into,” Lax recalled. “From there it really shifted into all the other fruit trees in town, and it’s grown a lot since those early days.”
That growth has come with a shift in community attitudes, she said.
“As a community, everyone is so much more conscious of where food is coming from, what happens to food that doesn’t get harvested, and wanting to help each other out,” Lax added. “This project just really caught people’s interest at the right time.”
At the heart of the project is a rotating crew of community members who give up a few hours to climb ladders, shake branches and pack boxes of fruit.
“We’ve had nearly 200 volunteer hours already this summer,” said project coordinator Megan Black. “A typical harvest lasts about two hours, and in peak season we can have up to four harvests in a week. Whether it’s young people, retirees or people working from home who can sneak out for a morning pick, we really need all the hands we can get to make this possible.”
Black said this year’s abundance is a motivator for homeowners and volunteers alike.
“Some trees haven’t produced in years, and suddenly they’re exploding,” she said. “There’s also a great social side—people come looking to meet others, and it becomes a way to connect with the community while doing something good.”
For newcomers, the experience is approachable. So much so Lax brought her parents to a harvest when they were visiting the area.
“You can just show up with no experience, and there’s something for you to do,” Lax said. “It’s a fun two hours, and you get to take some home with you. Pretty sweet opportunity.”
Tackling food waste and filling gaps
Nationally, nearly half of all food produced in Canada is wasted, according to a 2024 Second Harvest study. In small agricultural communities like Pemberton, that waste often happens right in people’s yards.
“Of course we need a program that bridges these gaps,” Lax said. “In a food system, there are always going to be gaps. The Fruit Tree Project is figuring out how we can fill them.”
For homeowners, the program also relieves the guilt of seeing fruit rot on the ground.
“When they find out we have a program that can help with the abundance, they’re relieved,” Black said. “People don’t want to see it go to waste, but they don’t always know what to do with it.”
The harvest season typically runs until mid-to-late September, with events scheduled around ripening cycles.
Aspiring volunteers can sign up for the project’s weekly newsletter through stewardshippembertonsociety.com. Newsletters include harvest dates, times, and what to bring.
Homeowners with fruit trees can also register through the website to have their trees added to the schedule.
“This is a community-powered project,” said Black. “Whether you come out once or every week, your contribution makes a real difference.”
