not far from the tree

Our first full season has been good to us. While our true success lies in the stories of those who have made not far from the tree happen, here are some numbers to give a brief sketch of our success:

• 3,003 lbs. of fresh fruit picked from residential properties in Toronto (mostly Ward 21);
• 40 trees gleaned in Toronto (mostly Ward 21);
• 140 trees registered across the GTA (and beyond!);
• almost all of our transportation needs met by bicycle or by foot;
• 250 volunteers signed up to help out;
• and an incredibly successful string of 12 Spadina Saturdays (our garden-to-market drop-in program).

A delightful mix of volunteers, fruit tree owners, funders, and friends of not far from the tree came out to celebrate together. DJ Fruit Loop spun her crafted mix of fruit- and tree-themed tunes, lovely volunteers served apricot beer (among other things) at the bar, and volunteer extraordinaire Lisa baked 300 vegan cookies in apple and leaf shapes. Remarks were made to thank all of those who have contributed to this project’s success – in big ways and in small.

The end-of-season celebration was also an opportunity to announce where we are heading for the 2009 season. The City of Toronto’s Environment Office has approved Live Green Toronto funding for Not Far From The Tree. This will cover some of our operating costs, allow us to purchase equipment for a potential expansion to three hubs next year, and support educational programming such as nine preserving workshops! We still have a ways to go before we can ensure this project’s sustainability, but the Live Green Toronto funding is a tremendous kick-off as we look toward the 2009 season.

We were proud to formally thank the Carrot Cache whose initial funding allowed this project to happen in 2008, securing us the necessary equipment and some overhead costs to see our first full season through. We also had the opportunity to thank Marnie Saskin for her efforts in starting up a hub in East York, and we announced our current plan to establish a hub in Parkdale by collaborating with Greenest City at their From The Ground UP headquarters. There is already so much to look forward to for the 2009 season! While much work has to be done before the first fruit trees unfold their blossoms, those visions are undoubtedly dancing in our heads.

The end-of-season celebration came together through the help of many. Gregory Alan Elliott designed the invitation (he also designed our logo way back in the spring.) Our volunteers Heather, Farrah, Andrea, Theresa, Don, Bronwyn, June, Amanda, Elsa, Liz, Erin, Yvonne, Chris, Nao, Linds, and Shawn helped out at the event. Lisa baked 300 vegan cookies, yum! Rapid Photo Toronto gave us an incredible discount on the 100+ photographs that decorated the walls. The Green Arts Barns Community Association (GABCA) allowed us to use the Wychwood Barns Community Gallery free of charge. And the following local businesses donated gifts to thank some of our most outstanding volunteers: Ellington’s Cafe, LIT, and Eastern Twist.