It’s a crisp autumn morning at Magarey Orchard in Coromandel Valley.
A small group of volunteers arrives on site and, armed with a few tools of the trade, they make their way on foot through the rows of lush trees laden with pears.
After a brief check-in, they set to work stripping the trees of fruit with 2-metre-long fruit pickers, filling box after box, while chatting about their week.
The volunteers are part of Fruit Share Adelaide, a not-for-profit organisation that harvests unwanted or excess locally grown fruit and distributes it among volunteers, the tree owner and food relief organisations.
Fruit Share Adelaide took root and flourished last year when gardening enthusiast Brett Dunstone tested the idea with locals after reading about a similar initiative interstate.
Since January this year, around 25 volunteers have harvested 3,000kg of fruit from sites across Adelaide.
Apples, quinces, oranges, plums, kumquats and watermelons are some of the fruits the team has picked in their effort to fight food insecurity and food waste.
More than 75 properties are registered with Fruit Share Adelaide including private properties, orchards and public land where there are neglected trees.
“We harvest a lot of fruit from backyard trees where the owners are older or less mobile, and busy families who don’t have the time to pick the fruit but don’t want it going to waste,” says founder Brett.
“While the underlying aim of Fruit Share is to minimise food waste, it’s also a great way for local people to connect and feed people in need.”
Fruit Share Adelaide has provided fruit to more than 25 organisations and groups for emergency food relief and low-cost or free meals for people doing it tough.
According to Foodbank’s Hunger Report 2023, 3.7 million Australian households experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in the 12 months prior to September 2023.
In the same period, 255,000 South Australian households – or more than one-third of state households – went hungry or didn’t know where the next meal was coming from.
Locally, a 2023 household survey on food insecurity in Onkaparinga found 20.8 per cent of respondents were experiencing moderate food insecurity, compromising on the quality and quantity of their food.
An additional 19.6 per cent of respondents were experiencing severe food insecurity, missing meals and reducing their food intake.
“It’s heart-breaking knowing that many local people don’t have enough to eat on a daily basis and wouldn't be able to access fresh fruit if it wasn't for what we provide,” says Brett.
“It motivates us to get more trees registered and more volunteers on board to deliver even more fruit to those who need it.”
Fruit Share Adelaide partners with other community groups, including the Onkaparinga Food Security Collaborative, to promote opportunities for residents to register their fruit trees and volunteer.
Become a Fruit Share volunteer
Fruit Share Adelaide welcomes everyone – whether you want to help with harvesting, distributing fruit or running events. Harvesting is done in a friendly and relaxed environment, usually lasting one hour. Register your interest on the Fruit Share Adelaide website.
Register a tree
If you have fruit to share or know of fruit going to waste, register a tree via the Fruit Share Adelaide website.
Workshops
Keen to learn more about how to care for your fruit tree? Fruit Share Adelaide occasionally offers low-cost educational workshops where field experts cover a range of topics including pruning, equipment, and fruit tree pests and diseases. To be sure you don’t miss the next workshop, follow Fruit Share Adelaide on Facebook or contact the organisation.
Reach out for help
If you need immediate access to affordable, nutritious food, the City of Onkaparinga website has a page to help connect you with a range of initiatives in the region. This includes information about emergency food assistance options and where to find free and low-cost meals. The website also includes information on other food and garden initiatives promoting health and wellbeing in the City of Onkaparinga.
IMAGE: Fruit Share Adelaide's Mary Crawford and Brett Dunstone