In its second year of existence, community organization Branching Out Brantford celebrated the 2022 campaign with over 7,200 pounds of fruits and vegetables picked from the local community.

The food initiative helps harvest unused fruit and vegetables from local food bearing trees, vines, and plants. Then the food is shared with the tree or plant owners, the volunteer pickers, and local community organizations like food banks and community food pantries.

The organization was created back in 2020 when volunteers from the East Ward Echo Place Neighborhood Association first began discussing food security within the community. From those talks, the group decided that they would start a fruit tree registry in Brantford. Keith Beveridge from Branching Out Brantford said the initiative started small with a cherry tree, a grape vine and a couple of other trees. The food harvested in that first year was just over 120 pounds. Beveridge said the initiative has exceeded expectations with the large increase in food collected.

"This year, we just had amazing success as word got out and it grew and we ended up growing into a lot more than just 120 lbs. of fruit that we harvested in the first year. So, we're second year, 7,200 lbs., amazing growth, amazing success and we're really excited for the future." Beveridge said.

He spoke on the big increase in food collected this year with community participation increasing from 3-4 trees to now 17 trees registered for food picking within Brantford.

Beveridge also noted that another reason for the big increase was thanks to a local Norwich squash farmer who donated over 6,000 lbs. of squash.

"Once he (local squash farmer) found out what we were doing he was happy to share all the squash that doesn't make it to the grocery store that they would normally either plow back into the field or leave for the animals. So that was part of our huge success this year."

A perk of volunteering with the group is that volunteers are able to enjoy and take home a portion of the collected food but the remainder will go to community organizations like the Brantford Food Bank and BL's little free pantry.

Beveridge spoke on the success of the initiative and the enjoyment the group gets from being able to share the locally collected food with community members.

"Being able to put the food into the hands of the people that need it and getting to share that food, it's all a beautiful thing. It's a lot of work, a lot of slugging, but all these beautiful moments more than make up for it."

For information of how to volunteer or get a food tree registered with the organization, visit the organization's Facebook page or email them at info@branchingoutbrantford.ca.

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