Volunteers needed for food bank’s Fall Fruit Harvest
Volunteers pull apples from a tree in the James Bakke Nature Reserve. (Pilot file)
It’s that time of year when the trails feel a little wider and the camping spots a bit more plentiful. As the tourists head home and we approach the cooler days of fall, the plentiful fruit trees in town spawn a treasure trove of delicious pears, apples, plums and … attract hungry bears!
Come join the North Valley Food Bank (NVFB) as it hosts its annual wildlife awareness and community fall harvest to rescue fruit from trees throughout Whitefish. The project is a partnership between the NVFB and the City of Whitefish, which manages more than 20 fruit trees. It aims to limit human-wildlife conflict by deterring bears from coming into town while providing fresh produce to food bank customers.
Managing the project is NVFB Program Coordinator Kristen Schepker, who states, “The harvest is a win-win situation. It provides nutritious produce to the historic number of families and individuals we’re currently serving, and at the same time helps minimize human-bear conflict. We’re excited to continue partnering with the City of Whitefish to feed our neighbors in need while reducing wildlife encounters.
“Last year alone, the project yielded more than 1500 pounds of fruit. With our new commercial kitchen, we’ll be able to process and flash freeze a portion of the harvested fruit to give out in the leaner months of winter,” she continued.
The harvesting project will take place on Sunday, Sept. 25 from 1 to 3 p.m. and is a family-friendly event. Volunteers will meet at North Valley Food Bank, 251 Flathead Avenue, Whitefish, at 1 p.m. to sign volunteer paperwork, pick up harvesting supplies and receive their tree location assignment. All volunteers should return to NVFB after completing picking to drop off harvested fruit. For more information or to sign up, contact kristen@northvalleyfoodbank.org or call 406-862-5863, extension 1003.
Please note: The food bank only accepts ready-to-eat, edible fruit. They are unable to
process mealy or worm-infested fruit, and cannot accept crab apples