The organisation provides numerous services to the community in order to support those in financial distress or social isolation through access to information and a range of initiatives promoting wellness, self-care, inclusion and sustainability.

They also provide opportunities for locals to actively participate in community life.

In 2012, when a group of Darebin residents realised how much fruit was going to waste in their neighbourhood, they came up with a way to redistribute it to families in the area.

This is how the ‘Fruit Squad’ was born. It consists of a team of volunteers who collect excess fruit from the trees of participating residents in and around Darebin and donate it to families in the community.

Christina DiPierdomenico, the executive officer of DIVRS for just under three years, shared memories of when, as a child, her family also gave fruit picked from their trees to friends and neighbours.

“My grandparents emigrated from Abruzzo and Veneto in the 1950s and 1970s, and like many others at the time planted many trees in their garden,” she said.

“Lemons, apples, pears, apricots and figs, my favourites.

“We always had enough to share with family and friends, and I remember fondly the Sunday lunches during which we ate the freshly picked fruit,” DiPierdomenico continued.

“I am very proud to be part of an organisation where volunteers pick fruit from trees that were planted, as my grandparents did 50 years ago, and continue to share with those experiencing food insecurity.”

The ‘Fruit squad’ is part of the DIVRS’ ‘Urban Food’ program, which with the help of volunteers, grows vegetables and salad for the community.

“It’s wonderful to see how, thanks to this group of people, some great local fresh fruit is being harvested today to be shared tomorrow,” DiPierdomenico said.

Holly Gallagher is the coordinator of the fruit-harvesting project and believes the initiative has been a great success.

“We bring fresh fruit to 500-550 families each month, reaching a total of about 1500 people,” Gallagher explained.

“About 100 new families have been added in the last month alone.”

Signing up for the program as a ‘donor’ is very simple.

Register your fruit trees on the DIVRS website and notify volunteers when the fruit is ripe to be picked.

“When the tree owners call us, a group of volunteers get sent to pick the fruit,” Gallagher continued.

“Sometimes they have a cup of tea while engaging in small talk and sharing gardening tips with the owner, who decides how much fruit they want to keep and how much to donate.

“The volunteers take the latter to the people who are responsible for distributing it to families in need.”

The ‘Fruit Squad’ has collected more than 16,000 kilograms of fruit since it began operating, perhaps because, as the coordinator points out:

“There are many talented gardeners in our community.”

Those interested in donating their fruit or receiving more information can e-mail: fruitsquad@divrs.org.au.