Help wanted: Fruit pickers for food shelves

A Twin Cities nonprofit is looking for more volunteers to pick fruit in orchards and backyard trees for local food shelves.

Volunteers for Fruits of the City have begun to fan out across the seven county metro area, picking apples and pears that would otherwise go to waste.

"A single apple tree can produce hundreds of pounds of fruit, much more than many of the tree owners can use. At the same time, there's a need for more fresh produce at local food shelves," said volunteer coordinator Jared Walhowe.

The program donated more than 38,000 pounds of fruit to hunger relief groups last year.

Fruits of the City recently received a $5,000 grant from Hunger-Free Minnesota to expand to other parts of the state.

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