CITY FRUIT�S FURTHER THE FRUIT PROGRAM INVESTIGATES WAYS TO TAKE LOCALLY HARVESTED FRUIT THAT MAY NOT BE MARKET- READY OR READY-TO-EAT AND FIND WAYS TO DIVERT THIS FRUIT FROM WASTE OR COMPOST.

City Fruit has access to 7,000+ privately-owned and 500+ public fruit trees across Seattle. We work with public and private entities to further food justice and food sovereignty, using urban fruit trees as a model for sustainability. Annually, we harvest ~40,000 pounds of quality fruit that would otherwise go to waste and redirect it throughout the community. We distribute at more than 25 food banks and meal programs and at our Fruit-For-All free fruit farm stands held in federally-designated food deserts throughout Seattle. We estimate 25,000 Seattle residents have access to local, organic fruit through our work.To further reduce food insecurity and waste in the Seattle area, we seek to expand existing operations through Further the Fruit. This proposed program will take fruit we harvest that cannot be distributed to food banks - bruised, pest-damaged, or windfallen - and process it into fruit-centered, culturally-relevant foods. After creating in-house jams, salsas, and more, we hope to leverage our current partnerships to distribute and/or sell the foods. Under this planning grant, we can assess our fruit supply and the demand for fruit-products at partner food banks to see how we can sustainably meet their needs, and then see whether a portion of product can be sold at local businesses to create a sustainable source of revenue for this program in the future.This planning project allows us to conduct outreach to assess specific food needs across Seattle and learn what fruit-centered recipes are most desired in the communities we serve. During the 2022 harvest season, our team will record the type and amount of fruit harvested. This data will allow us to determine monthly fruit availability, and plan for recipes and distribution. We will locate a kitchen for fruit-processing, and host pilot volunteer baking events, to assess the time and resources needed to produce these foods. Through this planning, we will identify a path to maximize the use of local fruit and further promote access to quality, local fruit for all.?