Orchard for ALL!
The Orchard for ALL! program aims to create a distributed community orchard, using hundreds of Richmond backyards to increase access to healthy, delicious fruit for families who struggle with food insecurity. Richmond’s Iron Triangle, Santa Fe, and Coronado neighborhood residents are eligible to receive a free fruit tree to support this project’s mission.
Orchard for ALL! offers current Richmond fruit tree owners and any future fruit tree owners free seasonal fruit tree care, like fertilization and pruning, which optimizes the tree’s overall health, increasing the chances for an abundant harvest. The fruit is then carefully harvested during its peak season and is distributed to our 2 Free Farm Stands at Unity Park and Lucas Park, located in the heart of Richmond’s Iron Triangle.
Orchard for ALL! sustains it’s mission by uplifting our young adults, ages 18-25, through a 6-week employment training, where participants will learn in-depth knowledge of botany, biology, and morphology of fruit trees, water conservation methods, integrated pest management, safe tool usage and harvesting techniques, with an outcome of hard arborist skills and soft job skills gained throughout the program for any future opportunities after the training program.
Join us in building a healthier, more sustainable Richmond where everyone has access to fresh fruit and where our young adults lead the way towards a more equitable food system.
Free Fruit Tree Giveaway
Orchard for ALL! has a goal to distribute and plant 2,000 free fruit trees to Richmond’s Iron Triangle, Santa Fe, and the Cornado neighborhood residents by 2028. Orchard for ALL! is achieving this goal by hosting an Annual Fruit Tree Giveaway at Unity Park in early spring, where we distribute 400 free fruit trees. If you are unable to make our annual event, you can schedule a pick-up for a free fruit tree below.
Do you live in the Orchard for ALL! project area? Check to see if you are eligible for a free fruit tree by using the Richmond Rising interactive map, and follow up with scheduling a pick up at our farm in North Richmond using the link below, or attend our early spring Annual Fruit Tree Giveaway.
Free Fruit Tree Care Services
Are you a fruit tree owner in Richmond or the greater West Contra Costa? Enroll today in our Orchard for All! program, where you can receive our free fruit tree services. Upon completion of our intake form, our Orchard for All! Team will contact you to schedule a site visit and assessment of your fruit trees. Conducting a thorough inspection helps us identify any issues affecting your fruit trees. Early detection of potential problems can make a significant difference in your tree’s long-term health.
Our team will also develop and share a fruit tree care “prescription” specifically tailored for all your fruit trees and schedule seasonal care throughout the year based on your preference of services that you agree to, which include seasonal pruning, fertilization, fruit thinning, and fruit harvesting, and recycled water system referrals to irrigate your fruit trees or landscape.
Support our Orchard for ALL! program to reach the goal of enrolling 500 active households by 2028, where we can continue to address food insecurity in Richmond, and redistribute fruit to our neighborhoods that need it most together!
Fruit Tree Owners from the Iron Triangle, Santa Fe, and Coronado neighborhoods will be prioritized
Free Fruit Harvesting and Distribution
Orchard for ALL! is striving towards harvesting and distributing 50,000 pounds of fruit by 2028 from established Fruit Trees in Richmond and the greater area and redistributing it to our 2 Free Farm Stands at Lucas Park and Unity Park in the Iron Triangle.
Do you have a fruit tree that needs harvesting immediately and a desire to help us achieve our goal? Use our scheduling link below, and the Orchard for ALL! team will follow up with you.
Young Adult Training Program
Orchard for ALL! hosts 2 6-week training program cohorts of 4 young adults ages 18 – 25 years old per year, intending to teach and graduate 40 young adults by 2028. The training program aims to develop program participants’ capacity to care for fruit-bearing trees to increase their productivity, improve access to healthy foods, while also creating invaluable opportunities to deeply serve their community and themselves.
Each 6-week training program takes place in early spring and mid-summer, where participants will learn in-depth knowledge of botany, biology, and morphology of fruit trees, water conservation methods, integrated pest management, safe tool usage, harvesting techniques, with an outcome of hard arborist skills and soft job skills gained throughout the program for future opportunities.
Are you between the ages of 18-25, and want to know more about caring, maintaining, and harvesting from fruit trees? Join our Orchard for ALL! Training Program and receive a $1,600 stipend upon graduation from our program! The training program application window is open in December and May.
Orchard for ALL! Current Goal’s
Read More!
Here you’ll find weekly and monthly updates on programming, highlights from the crew, and exciting news to keep you connected with our work.
Join the OFA Newsletter!
Our newsletter arrives in inboxes quarterly with fruit tree care and gleaning information, helpful resources and knowledge, and other opportunities. Sign up today and stay informed!
“Orchard for All! is supported by the California Strategic Growth Council’s Transformative Climate Communities Program, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment – particularly in disadvantaged communities.”
