The idea of owning fruit trees can be appealing. But what happens when the fruit drops faster than you can pick it, littering your yard and rotting there?
Enter City Fruit. The Seattle-based nonprofit harvests fruit from public and private orchards, distributing it to more than 30 food banks, meal programs, and schools. That effort increases access to healthy food while reducing food waste. The organization was founded in 2008 by Gail Savina, who galvanized volunteers to collect Seattle’s donated surplus fruit. Turns out, apple, Asian pear, and pear trees are particularly abundant in the city, with homeowners at a loss as to what to do with such bounty.
In 2024, City Fruit harvested more than 28,500 pounds of fruit, which equates to about 90,000 servings of quality fruit distributed to community partners. “We’re treating people with dignity and respect, and giving them fruit that’s going to be good quality for them to enjoy,” says City Fruit Executive Director Emily Tomita. “It’s filling my deep-rooted Asian auntie instinct to want to feed people all the time.
“Anytime I get to do a delivery, it reminds me why our work is important,” Tomita adds. “We’re not solving the hunger crisis, but we are able to bring joy to people in a nutritious way, and that is really special.”
True to City Fruit’s mission, even second-quality produce doesn’t get wasted. The organization sells approximately 10,000 pounds of fruit annually at low prices to businesses, such as Seattle Cider and Greenwood Cider. Some partners donate a portion of their sales back to City Fruit, while others make a flat donation.
City Fruit’s tree specialists help fund the effort by providing tree assessments, creating action plans for care, and pruning fruit trees — services that reflect the organization’s mission to steward urban fruit trees.
As federal assistance continues to dry up, the work of City Fruit is more crucial than ever.
“We hear a lot from our food bank partners about how important having a service like City Fruit is,” Tomita says. “The fact that they can offer fruit for free in bulk is a huge value-add.
“People are in a far more precarious position financially than we’ve seen in recent years, and the demand for food — for nutrition support — has already started increasing with our partners. We expect it to continue to grow,” Tomita adds.
Learn how to help: cityfruit.org
