What can you do with a rotten apple?

The Minnesota Project, a St. Paul-based nonprofit organization, is launching a new program to connect homeowners who have backyard fruit trees that produce more fruit than their families can use, with underprivileged families that cannot afford fresh fruit.

This from Ben Hellerstein at the Minnesota Project:

Do you have an apple, plum or pear tree in your yard that produces more than your family can eat? Volunteers from the Minnesota Project’s Fruits of the City program may be able to help. This fall we’ll be harvesting excess fruit from trees in Minneapolis and St. Paul and donating it to a local food shelf. Families that wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it will get fresh fruit, and you won’t have to pick up spoiled fruit from your lawn. We are also looking for volunteer gleaners to pick the fruit (and you can take home a few pounds yourself). To register a tree or to volunteer, call Ben at 651-789-3320 or e-mail fruits@mnproject.org. Harvest days will be held regularly from August through October. See http://www.mnproject.org/food-FruitsOfTheCity.html for more information.