OCNews

A group of Okanagan College business students are once again putting the call out for volunteers from OC and the community to help them harvest fruit that will be used to make healthy snacks for children and others in need.

Launched in the fall of 2018, Fruit Snaps is a Vernon- and Penticton-based project co-ordinated by Enactus OC students in partnership with the North Okanagan Valley Gleaners Society facility. It’s focused on taking unused apples from local orchards and dehydrating them into snacks for local schools.

The Fruit Snaps team will be hosting volunteer apple picking sessions at the orchard at 10168 Grey Rd. in Coldstream during the following times:

• Sunday, Sept. 19, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Wednesday, Sept. 22, 4 to 6 p.m.
• Saturday, Sept. 25, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Wednesday, Sept. 29, 4 to 6 p.m.

Find more information on the Enactus OC Facebook Events page.

Apple picking will follow current public-health guidance. Physical distancing will be in place and participants are asked to bring a mask (some masks will be on hand just in case). All volunteers are asked to perform a personal health check, and not attend if they are experiencing any COVID-19-related symptoms.

About Fruit Snaps

Fruit Snaps is a simple project that takes potential fruit waste and turns it into a delicious healthy snack for those in need. By dehydrating the apples picked, students are able to supply schools and food banks with a healthy alternative to their usual food donations.

The Fruit Snaps project has garnered numerous awards over the past two years and continues to evolve.

This past May, the project team comprised of Karsten Ensz, Abigail Underwood and Marin Carruthers, backed by their faculty advisor Andrew Klingel, presented virtually at Enactus National Exposition. Their efforts earned them multiple awards and a podium finish. The presentation team was made up of OC business students Karsten Ensz, Maya Samaddar, Rachel Scuka, Danielle Walker, Aidan McLane and Elizabeth Hirschkorn; OC alumna and founder of the FruitSnaps project Abby Lagerquist also made an appearance. The team was coached by Okanagan College School of Business Professors Andrew Klingel, Mark Ziebarth and Dr. Kyleen Myrah.

Since its creation in 2018, Fruit Snaps has diverted 42,000 pounds of apples from going to waste. This has had an environmental impact of saving almost nine million litres of water and 85 tonnes of C02 emissions. All while providing 75,000 servings of nutritious fruit to over 4,000 children and people in need.