Finding a new, meaningful way to share the fruit
One of the most exciting and meaningful successes of this season has been finding a new way to utilize and add value to less-than-perfect but still oh-so-good-and-nutritious fruit that food banks usually cannot accept. Our harvesters, not wanting to waste the fruit, spent some time researching earlier in the season, and were able to find some new meal program partners who can use the fruit by cooking it as part of the meals they serve.
One of them is Angeline’s Day Center for Women who provides emergency housing shelter for women. Their service includes access to laundry, showers, activities, connections to other services in the area, and fresh meals. We are ecstatic to be able to contribute our fruit to Angeline’s via the Neighborhood Cooking Project, and are thankful for all the volunteers who donate their time to prepare quality, nutritious meals for our neighbors in need!
“The Neighborhood Cooking Project is a group of volunteers (and friends) from around the Seattle region. We come together once a month to cook restaurant-quality meals for 250 of our Seattle neighbors experiencing homelessness. We cook these meals at Angeline’s Day Center for Women and distribute additional meals to the Blaine Center and Jan and Peter’s Place. It is a small act, but we hope to increase access to high quality food, even if it’s just once a month. We’re thrilled to be partnering with City Fruit to incorporate nutritious local produce into our monthly meals.”
– Hannah Kennedy, Neighborhood Cooking Project volunteer
Pirctured below: spice-rubbed pork chops with City Fruit plums and caramelized onions prepared on August 12th
Damage-free fruit is always ideal because it can be shared more easily and widely, and City Fruit is committed to continuing our effort to educate the public about protecting our fruit trees. But in the meantime we are happy to find new parterners like the Neighborhood Cooking Project who can turn our less than perfect fruit into delicious, nutricious meals for our nighbors in need!
Know a meal program who can use delicious, nutritious but slightly damaged fruit? Then let us know!