The San Francisco Bay Area is a place of abundance. Before Silicon Valley, the South Bay was known as the Valley of Heart's Delight and world famous for fruit, and today we have fruit trees with tens of millions of pounds of fruit growing year round in our suburban landscape. Most produce far more fruit than their owners can use themselves.

But while we have great abundance, there is also great need: more than 1 in 10 residents need assistance from local food banks.

Together, we can reduce hunger by sharing the fruit that's all around us. Learn how you can made a difference.

For Home Tree Owners

    Edible Silicon Valley Fall 2017

    Enjoy your own fruit

    Fresh fruit picked right off your own tree, at the peak of perfection? Enjoy, and savor! And because trees are so abundant in our area, share fresh with your neighbors, friends, and co-workers.

    For enjoying after the season, consider Preserving! Village Harvest started with a request for fruit to make jam, and our Resources Preserves section can get you started with "how to" information and award-winning recipes from our early days.

    Fruit Sharing DIY: Donate It Yourself

    Most food banks and pantries are very grateful to receive fresh fruit and produce directly from home gardens. Your extra can become much-needed healthy food for people right in your community. Harvesting and donating fruit yourself is easy, and for most types can be done a few bags at a time rather than everything at once.

    Learn how in our Fruit Sharing DIY section or find organizations through the Community Fruit Drop Off Locations map and list.

    Fruit Sharing DIY

    Volunteer Harvesting Assistance

    Village Harvest organizes volunteer teams to provide harvesting assistance for tree owners who are physically unable to harvest their own trees because of age or disability. (Because of overwhelming interest availability is limited, and most tree owners will need to harvest and donate fruit themselves.)

    To Apply for Harvest Assistance:

    • If you've never registered online with us, complete our Home Sign Up form
    • If your trees have been previously harvested by Village Harvest OR you have previously registered, complete our Harvest Request form

    Orchards

    We organize groups of 15 to 100 volunteers to harvest non-commercial historic and heritage orchards in 4 counties of the Bay Area, from San Mateo south to San Benito County. Private and public owners may complete the Home Sign Up form or Contact Us for more information.

    Neighborhoods

    Our Neighborhood Harvest project partners with neighborhood associations and local residents to organize fruit tree harvests of entire blocks and neighborhoods to provide healthy food from the “suburban orchards” that fill Silicon Valley, and to engage the community and volunteers in solving local hunger.

    If you'd like to organize a harvest of your neighborhood, please Contact Us.