I’ve just returned from the quiet streets of Victoria’s James Bay neighborhood, where a revolution of sorts is happening in backyards across the community. What began three years ago as a modest volunteer effort has transformed into an essential food security initiative that’s capturing attention across British Columbia.
“We never expected to harvest over 8,000 pounds of fruit last year alone,” says Elise Cote, coordinator of the James Bay Harvest Collective, standing beneath an apple tree heavy with fruit not yet picked. “When we started, it was just five of us with ladders and buckets.”
The collective represents a growing movement across B.C. communities: organized volunteer groups who harvest unharvested fruit from residential properties and redirect what would otherwise become waste into local food banks and community kitchens.
Behind this movement lies a troubling reality. According to Food Banks Canada’s 2023 HungerCount report, British Columbia saw a 33% increase in food bank usage compared to pre-pandemic levels – the third highest increase nationwide. Meanwhile, Statistics Canada estimates that over 35% of all food produced in Canada goes to waste, with a significant portion being perfectly edible fruits and vegetables.
The contradiction isn’t lost on Michael Chen, who has volunteered with the collective since its inception. “It makes no sense that we have people going hungry while perfectly good apples and plums rot on the ground,” he tells me as we walk through a backyard where volunteers are carefully harvesting Italian plums.
This particular property belongs to Marjorie Halliwell, an 81-year-old widow who has lived in her James Bay home for over four decades. “My husband planted these trees in the ’80s,” she explains, watching volunteers work. “After he passed, I couldn’t manage the harvest anymore. I used to feel terrible watching it all go to waste.”
The program works simply: homeowners register their fruit trees with local harvest collectives. Volunteers schedule picking days, then divide the harvest – one-third to the homeowner, one-third distributed among volunteers, and one-third delivered to community food organizations. The approach has gained traction beyond Victoria, with similar initiatives operating in Vancouver, Kelowna, and smaller communities like Salt Spring Island.
“What makes these community-based programs so valuable is their ability to address multiple issues simultaneously,” explains Dr. Hannah Roberts, food security researcher at the University of British Columbia. “They reduce food waste, increase local food access, build community connections, and create practical climate action by reducing emissions associated with food transport.”
The initiatives have become particularly vital as food prices continue to climb. According to Canada’s Food Price Report, British Columbians saw a 10.8% increase in food costs in 2022 alone, with fruit prices rising even higher at 13.2%.
For Victoria’s Rainbow Kitchen, which serves over 36,000 meals annually to vulnerable community members, these backyard harvests have become essential. “The fresh fruit we receive from the harvest collective allows us to provide nutritious options we simply couldn’t afford otherwise,” says kitchen director Patrick Johnstone. “During late summer and fall, these donations can account for nearly 40% of the fruit we serve.”
But scaling these grassroots efforts comes with challenges. Most operate on shoestring budgets with limited storage capacity. The James Bay collective recently received a $5,000 grant from the Victoria Foundation to purchase essential equipment, but Cote says longer-term funding remains elusive.
“We’re essentially creating infrastructure for local food security,” explains Cote. “But unlike traditional agriculture, there’s no established funding stream for backyard harvest initiatives.”
This hasn’t stopped the movement from expanding. The B.C. government recently acknowledged these efforts through its Food Security Task Force, which highlighted community harvest programs as “innovative solutions worth supporting” in its 2023 report on provincial food security.
On a crisp morning at James Bay Community School, I witness another dimension of the program. Volunteers have brought crates of freshly harvested apples for a workshop teaching students how to make applesauce and preserve fruit. The children crowd around, eager to help wash and cut the apples.
“We’re not just feeding people today,” explains teacher Samantha Wylie. “We’re helping build food skills that create resilience for the future.”
For homeowners like Halliwell, the program has brought unexpected joy beyond the practical benefits. “Having young people in my yard, caring for these trees, brings the place alive again,” she says, watching as volunteers carefully place plums in collection buckets. “It feels right knowing nothing goes to waste.”
As climate change impacts growing seasons and extreme weather events threaten food security, these hyperlocal food systems may become increasingly important. Recent research from the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions suggests British Columbia will experience more variable growing conditions, making community-based food initiatives crucial adaptation strategies.
As I prepare to leave, volunteer coordinator Chen hands me a small bag of freshly picked plums. “Try these,” he insists with a smile. “They’re the real thing – grown with no sprays, picked at perfect ripeness, and they traveled about 500 meters to get to you.”
The fruit is indeed exceptional – a small but powerful reminder of the abundance that exists in our communities, if only we organize to harvest it.
