Frequently Asked Questions

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If you are outside of the Oriental Fruit Fly Quarantine, then YES! That is a wonderful help! Depending on your location we can arrange for pick up or we can schedule a time for it to get dropped off here in South Oak Park.  Harvesting your own fruit gives us more time to harvest for our neighbors that are seniors or folks that have mobility issues. If you need to borrow a picker pole, please let us know and we'll be happy to lend you one!  If you are physically able to, but don't want to, please make a financial donation to cover the time and expense of operating the program (see below).

SO GLAD YOU ASKED!  Just because they're orange, doesn't mean they're ready! Navel oranges can start getting ripe in December or January but often will taste better later in the season.  They should be somewhat soft to the touch.  They should taste sweet!  Try one!  Valencia oranges are ripe in the spring. Please, please, please taste your fruit before requesting that we come and harvest it.  

While we do some direct distribution of the fruit, the majority goes to our three community partners:

Wellspring Women's Center: 

Wellspring's Nutritious Meal Program serves a nutritious breakfast and light lunch Monday through Friday from 8:30 am - 11:00 am. Any woman and child are eligible to attend and enjoy a healthy meal in a welcoming environment.

Neighbor Program:

Neighbor Program is a community organization committed to serving the people of Sacramento through building survival programs. 

River City Food Bank:

River City Food Bank’s mission is to alleviate hunger in Sacramento County by providing consistent access to healthy, meaningful food for all.

Organizing and executing this program is a lot of work!  To keep it going we ask that if you're able to, please consider making a donation to offset the time and resources it takes to make it happen. We understand that not everyone is in the same financial situation, so we've made these suggested guidelines.  Any donation made is tax-deductible and no donation is required.  Donations can be make here.

$100 is suggested if you own your home, can travel internationally for fun, have savings and investments. 

$50 is suggested if you can meet your basic needs.

Just a thank you is suggested if you're a single parent, you use EBT, cannot affort to take time off without financial burden, are an unpaid community organizer, or are on state disability insurance.  If you are a senior or are physically unable to harvest the fruit please feel free to let us know and we will prioritize your tree.