Successes

The primary success of the GFNG project was the planting of 534 trees/bushes. These plants represent a physical, living legacy of the project to the Greater Victoria region and will bear fruit well into the future.

The project developed and strengthened the network of community groups and their efforts in environmental activities. This core group of Community Coordinators and volunteers working on the GFNG project came together over 8 times over the course of the 2005 year, bringing knowledge, perspective, and mutual interests forward. The result is increased ties and connections between groups. This collaborative spirit was evident in the community petitioning for community gardens; at the City Council meeting many of the Good Fruit and Greenways Project Community Coordinators were present in support.

The Community Coordinator played a key role. Their motivation and continual efforts in organizing, selecting sites, encouraging volunteers and planting (particularly Vic West, Hillside Quadra and Tsartlip) are to be commended. The sites they located for trees/bushes fit with the goals of the project, are green spaces situated next to community-oriented organizations and buildings, and involve wonderful people who are thrilled to be taking on the task of fruit tree care. The Community Coordinators were pivotal and serve to enforce the need for on-the-ground community coordination; the community honorarium greatly supported their efforts.

The activities of the GFNG project partnered well with existing LifeCycles Fruit Tree Project (FTP) activities. The FTP 2005 harvest of 19,000 pounds of fruit (that would otherwise have gone to waste), and its subsequent distribution to food banks, homeowners, and volunteers serves as an excellent model to communities participating in the GFNG project. It provides them with a concrete example of how to harness community involvement in a way that encourages volunteerism, harvests a resource, and looks after the impoverished in its community.

The Good Fruit N Greenways Project has gained a lot of support, both within Victoria and beyond. Media has been interested in its activities and goals, other organizations outside of Victoria have been keen to find out what we are doing, and most importantly, residents of Victoria are becoming more understanding and supportive of the need to grow our own food.