Food Counts!

From the Trees for Seattle August newsletter:

Seattle’s urban forest sustains us in more ways than we can imagine, including providing fresh healthy food. The Seattle Parks Urban Food Systems Program provides a wide range of services and opportunities to support our local food system, encourage healthy and active lifestyles, and promote the stewardship of the city’s public lands. This summer, the Urban Food Systems Program is launching Food Counts!, part of the Great Seattle Fruit Harvest and the most ambitious effort yet to bring the wealth of fresh fruit provided by Seattle’s trees to the hands of hungry Seattleites.  

Food insecurity has increased exponentially with the COVID-19 pandemic, disproportionately impacting Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color. The Great Seattle Fruit Harvest is a partnership between the City of Seattle, the non-profit City Fruit, community volunteers, and others to harvest tens of thousands of pounds of otherwise unused fresh fruit from trees across the city and make it available via food banks and local service organizations. This summer, City Fruit is also hosting Fruit for All – 12 pop-up stands around Seattle where anyone can go to get free, fresh fruit. Check out the website for upcoming dates and locations. 

Want to help harvest fruit with the Food Counts Campaign? Sign up here, call (206) 423-3228, or email Belinda Chin at Belinda.Chin@Seattle.gov. Is there a fruit tree on your property? Share its bounty! Learn more at Cityfruit.org.