June 27, 2012
The Event
I studied at KFI, a school where there were plenty
of trees just waiting to be climbed… so many, in fact, that we were encouraged
to ‘adopt’ a tree each, and watch it grow over the year. Our school also had a
farm where we used to visit and help out, and I always felt like I knew exactly
where the food on my plate was coming from (and that I’d contributed to getting
it there, even!)
Given that background, you can probably understand my
immediate attraction towards Not Far From the Tree. If you haven’t heard of them yet (and I’m confident you will, in
the following years!) they’re a group that makes good use of Toronto’s abundant
supply of fruit by helping tree-owners pick and harvest their bounty. I haven’t
been able to go on a fruit pick yet because they get filled up so fast, but a
friend of mine led a cherry picking one, where she got 1/5th of 1/3rd
of the harvest (1/3rd goes to volunteers, there were 5)… I got a
portion of her portion and that was
enough to keep me knee-deep in cherries for a week!
I was really happy to help out at Not Far From The Tree’s 5th Anniversary event,
where they shared their incredible accomplishments to date with their
volunteers.
Me at the Event
I got to 401 Richmond and fell in instant love with the old
fashioned brick building and the incredibly green rooftop deck. Apparently that
garden used to be open to the public until recently, which is a pity, because
it’s gorgeous and I can picture myself whiling a good evening away over there.
It was definitely the perfect location for this party though, with the vegan snacks,
gelatos and cupcakes fitting right into the décor. 
Since there was a big sign at the door of the building
saying the garden had been closed to the public (again, wince!), I was on door
duty telling volunteers that the garden was still open especially for them and
that they could go on up to enjoy the fruits of their labour! It was a fun job,
I ran into some people I’d met at The
Stop’s Night Market the previous week, and even the talented gentleman
who’d designed the NFFTT tee I was wearing. It was definitely a happy crowd
that cut that birthday cake with fond memories of their first ever pick, and I’m
looking forward to the day when I can blog about my first ever pick too :)
What I loved: Location,
location, location. NFFTT’s new office is going to be hosted in the same
building where the party happened and it looks idyllic. It fit the group very
nicely together, and I got a huge kick out of Steamwhistle’s beer
display at the event. They’d also had a fun van at The Stop’s Night Market the
previous week, and I love how they seem to be associated with groups that I
wholeheartedly support!
What I didn’t love: It
threatened to rain off and on, but that was the only cloud (literally!) on a
beautiful evening. It was also a bit sad that some people who got to the party
early left before the actual cake cutting, or came after the treats from Magic
Oven were all gone.
Overall: So glad
there were slots open for a volunteer opportunity! I’m waiting to pounce on the
next email that comes in and (hopefully) register myself before anyone else can
:)
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