Sudbury program that shares surplus food with those in need returns after hiatus

Program shares harvest with those in need Sudbury Shared Harvest is re-introducing a program that collects surplus produce for distribution to people in need.

Sudbury Shared Harvest is re-introducing Fruit for All, a program that collects surplus produce from area residents for distribution to people in need.

The program originally ran from 2014-2017, but was paused due to high labour and transportation costs. It's now back up and blooming and looking for gardeners willing to share their surplus produce.

“When you don't have friends that want to take your extra produce this is a really good way to keep it from ending up in the compost bin,” said Carrie Regenstreif, of Sudbury Shared Harvest.

Officials said funding from the city helped get the program running again after transportation and labour costs put a halt to it in 2018.

“The city has been giving us an operating grant of $30,000 per year,” said Regenstreif.

“And that is super important it's about half of our full operating costs and it allows us to do everything we do, really.”

Under the program, gardeners sign up, fruits and vegetables are picked up and then distributed through the emergency food program at Better Beginnings Better Futures.

“We own on our own van because we can share it with all the other programs we do like the food forest here and our little farmers program.” Regenstreif said.

“And also we are able to take advantage of Canada's Summer Jobs Program, which means that we are able to have a student that's been focusing on this.”