Gleaners ask for volunteer help to pick fruit

Published 12:01 am Sunday, July 19, 2015

PORT TOWNSEND — Warm temperatures are ripening fruit around the area earlier than usual, and Quimper Community Harvest, also known as the Gleaners, is asking for help in harvesting extra and unused fruit.

The Gleaners need volunteers to help pick fruit Tuesday evenings, Saturday mornings and other times.

The fruit is delivered to such organizations as all four Jefferson County food banks, The Boiler Room, the senior lunch program, senior housing and, after classes resume, area schools.

During the past seven years, the Gleaners have harvested and donated more than 49,000 pounds of fruit — apples, pears, cherries, plums and figs — for Port Townsend residents.

Port Townsend tree owners donate the organic fruit from trees they don’t intend to harvest; volunteers do the picking for them.

In return for helping out, volunteers can take fruit for themselves and their family.

Volunteers can come every week or whenever they are free to join in the picking.

Picking groups are formed and then travel to the trees that need to be picked.

Quimper Community Harvest also needs people to scout for trees with fruit not being picked in their neighborhood.

They also need tree watchers to check the trees on their list in an area near their home and report to Quimper Community Harvest when the trees are ripe.

To volunteer or form a group to pick or deliver fruit, contact Seth Rolland at 360-379-0414 or sethrolland@gmail.com.

Tree owners wanting to donate the fruit can contact Cathie Wier at 360-385-3581 or cathiew@eusers.com.