There’s a lot of hidden food growing across the city that never makes it to a table, but Hidden Harvest Ottawa is changing that. The organization gets food that otherwise would have gone to waste into the hands of those who need it the most. On a Wednesday afternoon in Ottawa, an abundance of apples is being picked, sorted, and donated from a tiny urban orchard in Lansdowne Park. Hidden Harvest is making sure the bounty isn’t overlooked and doesn’t go to waste. Hidden Harvest has been operating as a volunteer-run organization in Ottawa since 2012. In 2024, it became a program with help from EnviroCentre to provide administrative support and to continue growing. EnviroCentre project lead Brodie Kinnear used to be a volunteer with Hidden Harvest, but now helps oversee part of their operation, including the urban orchard in Lansdowne Park. “This year, I think we’ve done 80 different harvests so far across the city,” said Kinnear. “This one is unique in that it is essentially an orchard. Most of the trees we’re harvesting are in people’s backyards or their front yards... they just sign up with us, and we get out there to help them out.” Getting started to share or donate food from a tree on your property is as simple as signing up online. “Homeowners who have trees or in some cases, larger landowners like the city or the NCC register their tree,” explains Hidden Harvest neighbourhood lead, Bria Aird. Aird helps coordinate harvests with a team of volunteers who gather fruit that are donated to local food organizations. “We have a database of trees, and neighborhood leaders will claim a tree in the app and then set up a harvest. It’s very straightforward,” Aird said. “We’re all aware of how precarious things are in the world, and especially with the trade war and all the climate impacts are seeing…Everything can feel overwhelming. Picking fruit right from our backyard to like share with our neighbors, it’s just very grounding to be part of something that’s good.” Since 2012, Hidden Harvest have rescued over 120,000 pounds of fresh, healthy, local food, and donated over 60,000 pounds of good to local food agencies. “The reception is just hugely positive,” said Kinnear. “We know one in four households in Ottawa experience food insecurity and so getting this fresh nutritious produce to them is really helpful for supplementing what they can offer.” Hidden Harvest’s need for fresh food is growing. While there are more than 17,000 fruit and nut trees on City of Ottawa property, not all trees are getting harvested. “We just have more trees registered than we can get to, and more food agencies asking for donations than we can share with,” says Kinnear. “The biggest way to help us grow is to sign up to be a neighborhood leader. There’s free training that we offer, so that more folks can lead harvests across the city.”
