News

Actions

Salt Lake City starts fruit share program

Posted at 5:22 PM, Jul 18, 2013
and last updated 2013-07-18 21:58:04-04

SALT LAKE CITY - Salt Lake City is working on a fruit share program that helps local food banks.

For Salt Lake City-area residents who have trees with too much fruit than they can eat, there is a way to keep that food from going to waste.

Shawn Peterson founded the non-profit Green Urban Lunch Box, which, along with Salt Lake City and several other non-profit groups, can put that fruit to good use.

"A lot of trees at people's homes, they rot, they fall on the ground. They don't get trimmed they don't get thinned, so they produce really tiny small fruit that's just a mess and a nuisance for the home owner," Peterson said. "I think it's just a great way to get resources that would usually end up on the ground."

Residents register their fruit trees online with Salt Lake City, then volunteers come to their homes and pick the fruit.

"A third of the fruit goes to the volunteers, a third to the home owners and a third to the food bank," said Alex Porpora with TreeUtah. "So we are ensuring that our trees continue to pay back through providing food for the community."

For more information on the fruit share program, visit www.slcgov.com/slcgreen/fruitshare.