Dreams of harvest start with spring buds for VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 LifeCycles Project.
The goals are bigger this year with planned expansion of the farm gleaning program B次元官网网址� rescuing more produce naturally boosts food processing workshops and contributions to the Food Share Network.
In 2024 staff and volunteers picked almost 18,000 pounds of unsellable produce from 14 partner farms, donating most to the Food Share Network, which either directly connects it with other social service agencies or cooks it into meals for those in need.
LifeCycles is also looking forward to hosting more food processing workshops in summer and fall to cycle B-grade fruit back into the local food system instead of compost.
Of the fruit and produce rescued last year, more than 40 per cent went to the community through the Food Share Network; 38 per cent through Community Sharing Day and to volunteers and tree stewards. The remaining 22 per cent was B-grade fruit used in processing workshops and juicing events, while the final two per cent was donated to a pig farmer and a backyard compost enthusiast.
The organization will continue other programs including the Fruit Tree Project which harvested 31,000 pounds of unwanted fruit off of 261 trees across the Capital Region in 2024. Project volunteers and staff put in 1,900 hours of time to assess, harvest, sort and process fruit, and more than 230 hours to harvest and deliver produce. LifeCycles put 154 volunteers through orientation and specifically trained 26 new harvest leaders.
With a planned growth in programs, LifeCycles hopes to see another boost in volunteers. Anyone interested can register online at https://gleaning.lifecyclesproject.ca/signup.
