About Us
We pick fruit and share it.
Did you know that over 1.5 million pounds of fresh fruit grows in Toronto?
Not Far From The Tree is Toronto’s fruit tree harvesting program, founded in 2008. We pick fruit in people’s yards – what we call Toronto’s urban orchard – and share the bounty with organizations that feed fellow Torontonians.
When a tree owner can’t keep up with their harvest, we mobilize a volunteer team to pick the fruit, and then split it: 1⁄3 to the tree registrant, 1⁄3 split amongst the volunteers, and 1⁄3 donated to one of our community agency partners. This simple act brings Torontonians together, empowering communities to reduce food waste, increases access to fresh fruit, and to helping us live more sustainably in the city.
The fruit we pick supports community agencies such as shelters, food banks, community fridges, housing programs, and meal programs. The groups support folks who are low income, seniors, youth, families, Indigenous peoples, racialized, 2SLGTBQIA+, fleeing domestic violence, experiencing housing instability, and/or newcomers to Canada: in essence, anyone who experiences food insecurity.
Learn more by reading our Backgrounder!
Our Mission
To harness the power of fruit trees to create healthy, resilient, sustainable and connected communities across Toronto. We empower Torontonians to pick and share fruit that would otherwise fall to waste while providing opportunities to connect more intimately with their neighbours, environment, and food system. We act as, and empower people to become, stewards of the urban orchard to ensure its benefits can be realized for many generations to come.
Our Vision
We envision a Toronto where everyone has access to the urban harvest as part of a resilient food system that builds community and is based on the value of shared abundance. To achieve this vision, we work to:
- Bring communities together around the harvest
- Increase access to healthy, local fruit
- Raise awareness of the urban orchard as a food source
- Promote the health of the urban orchard
- Amplify the work of our social service partner agencies
The Land
Not Far From The Tree, as well as its staff and volunteers, operates on Lands that have traditionally been, and continue to be, stewarded and tended by many Indigenous nations: the Wendat, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Three Fires Anishinaabek Confederacy, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River.
These territories are covered by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, a treaty between the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabek Confederacies, as well as allied nations, to mutually care for and honor these Lands. All who live here are a part of this agreement, responsible for sharing and respecting this Land: we are all treaty people.
As an organization whose focus is on tending to our relationships to surrounding Lands and trees, we are cognizant of the ways ongoing processes of colonialism, dispossession, and Eurocentricity shape our practices. These include our operational and organizational structure, our tending to of non-native fruit trees brought here by immigrants, our participation in the construct of private property, and the specific life experiences and skills which we bring to building organizational relationships. We commit to continually hold and address these contradictions as we continue to deepen respectful relation with these Lands and its Beings.
Harvest Share Model
Since 2019, we have invited our Fruit Pickers and Tree Registrants to support NFFTT’s work through a “membership fee” to support the expenses of running as many pick events as we can every year. As we look toward the future in 2026, we’ve realized that label doesn’t quite capture the spirit of our work. This has never been just a membership, but a foundational community contribution to the Toronto we are building together!
We are transitioning the name of this practice to a Harvest Share. This shift reflects our commitment to the value of Shared Abundance: the belief that when we pool our resources (whether fruit, time, or funds) we contribute to a sustainable urban food model that benefits everyone. Funds gathered go directly back into running the Fruit Picking Program, season after season.
How it Works
Harvest Shares for the season are gathered by September 15 by registration via the Fruit Picking Portal. Any contributions made after September 15 cover the remainder of the current season and carry over to the following year. We invite our community to contribute to our project at the following annual amounts:
Tree Registrant share ($40): for those inviting us to their backyards and sharing the trees’ abundance with the city
Fruit Picker share ($10): for those joining picks to gather the bounty
We waive shares for anyone who asks, no questions asked. We especially encourage Indigenous community members and Youth to utilize this option. Our goal is to ensure that the joy of fruit picking and the abundance of the land are accessible to those who have been systemically excluded, and/or are beginning their journey as community stewards. Drop us a line at picks@notfarfromthetree.org and we will get you set up.
THANK YOU!
By participating in the Harvest Share, you are practicing our values alongside us. Your support ensures that we are able to share the fruits of our labour, honoring the gifts of the land for generations to come.
Thank you to our 2026 Season Sponsors
Thank you to all donors and sponsors of the 2026 season, including our monthly Roots Initiative members, Communauto, the McDonald family, Wastenot Farms, and our private donors.
