GOT FRUIT? JOIN THE SQUAD

Words By Rachel Unicomb

Hopefully, like me, many of our Rezza locals are enjoying the return of War on Waste on the ABC. For many people, this show has been a real eye opener about wastage, particularly in terms of food, with many items ending up in landfill every year. In fact, according to Sustainability Victoria, our state wasted 2.4 million tonnes of food in 2020. We also know the rising cost of living is making it harder for people to access fresh food in their daily lives.

Luckily for us, we have a fantastic local initiative that’s helping to reduce waste and improve food security. Introducing the Darebin Fruit Squad, a program managed by the Darebin Information,

Volunteer and Resource Service (DIVRS), an organisation which supports over one third of the 3,000 households that experience food insecurity in Darebin.

The Darebin Fruit Squad is a community fruit harvesting project, which has actually been running since 2012. If you are fortunate enough to have a fruit tree in your yard, there can be a lot of wastage when fruiting season comes around. My partner’s nan has a 30-year-old lemon tree, and it has produced so many lemons this year, that even though she regularly gives them away, many still inevitably end up on the ground.

The perfect solution is to register your tree with the Darebin Fruit Squad. You can harvest the fruit yourself and leave whatever you don’t want out for collection (or deliver to the DIVRS hub at Preston). Alternatively, the fruit squad can lend you a hand by doing the harvesting for you (even those hard-to-reach branches that require a ladder!)

There are a lot of fruit trees around Reservoir; many a proud reminder of our migrant history. So even if you don’t have a tree, your neighbours likely do, so be sure to tell them about this great initiative. The more people that get on board, the more fruit can be rescued and distributed to those in need, with fresh, nutritious ingredients an important element in DIVRS food parcels.

Anyone in the Darebin council area can sign up – from homeowners and renters to schools and businesses. The program accepts all kinds of fruits, and even if your tree isn’t fruiting right now, you can still register your interest and the squad will be in touch when fruiting season comes around.

You can also register as a harvesting volunteer, with the program always looking for more pickers who are able to donate a few spare hours each month to help with collecting the fruit, while building connections with others. The Fruit Squad even runs workshops on how to care for fruit trees.

If you’d like to join the Darebin Fruit Squad as either a donator or a fruit picker, you can contact fruitsquad@divrs.org.au or register online.

DIVRS are doing amazing things in our community. For over 30 years they have offered free services, financial advice and food aid to people experiencing personal and financial stress.

You can find out more about DIVRS and the Fruit Squad on their website . So let’s get picking and see the fruits of your labour help someone in need!