Gardening is new and bewildering to us, so we need a service like Portland's Fruit Tree Project: a team of volunteers helps care for the fruit and nut trees in your yard, picks the fruit (keeping it from falling and rotting on the ground), and distributes half of it to the needy; the volunteers get to keep half. Their website gives links to several similar local organizations:

• 
  Vancouver Fruit Tree Project (Vancouver, BC)


• Fallen Fruit (Los Angeles)


• Gleaners Coalition (Olympia, WA)


• Urban Gleaners (Portland, OR)


• Lettuce Link (Seattle)


• Victoria Fruit Tree Project (Victoria, BC)
  


• Earth Matters Fruit Tree Project (Nelson, BC)


• Richmond Fruit Tree Sharing Project (Richmond, BC)


• Philly Orchard Project (Philadelphia, PA)

...but alas, nothing here in the Bay Area. If you know of a similar project (or just a generous person who knows fruit trees) let us know!

For more information, or to volunteer: visit the Portland Fruit Tree Project website.

via Willamette Week