From Fruit Trees to Flourishing Communities: How Les Fruits Défendus is Cultivating Change

In the heart of Montréal*, Simone is helping build a more climate-resilient, food-secure future—one fruit tree at a time. As the coordinator of Les Fruits Défendus, she leads a grassroots collective reclaiming overlooked abundance by harvesting fruit that would otherwise go to waste and redistributing it within the community.

Before receiving support from FES’s The Youth Harbour Action Grant, the group was entirely volunteer-run, balancing growing demand with limited resources. With flexible funding and trust-based support, Simone and her team strengthened their systems and laid the foundation for long-term climate action.

Les Fruits Défendus is a volunteer-run collective that harvests fruit from privately owned urban trees around Montreal. Their mission is simple yet meaningful: reduce food waste, build climate-resilient communities, and promote ecological literacy through harvesting and sharing.

The group supports underrepresented communities in Montréal—residents living in food deserts, low-income families, and youth looking to contribute to climate action in tangible ways. By engaging volunteers to pick fruit and redistribute it equitably between tree owners, harvesters, and local food organizations, they are weaving together a network of food justice rooted in sustainability and collaboration.

In 2024, the collective was navigating a moment of expansion. More residents were requesting harvests. More volunteers were getting involved. But they needed a stronger foundation to sustain the work and respond effectively.

With $30,000 from The Youth Harbour Action Grant, Les Fruits Défendus was able to stabilize and grow. Simone’s part-time coordinator position was maintained, allowing her to oversee harvests, build partnerships, and guide the collective’s development. The team also upgraded their equipment, improving volunteer safety and efficiency.

Simone highlighted how straightforward and supportive the funding process was:

“Everything went perfectly according to plan. It was very easy, extremely streamlined. That’s the biggest thing I appreciate because with most funders, it’s not that simple. We received all the funding on time and spent it as planned.” This smooth process gave the collective the confidence to plan ahead and focus on their mission.”

She also praised FES’s flexibility during their transition to nonprofit status.

 “FES was very understanding and accommodating with the contract and the timing while we were still finalizing our incorporation. That support made a big difference during a critical time for us.”

During 2024, Les Fruits Défendus coordinated over 40 harvests, rescuing hundreds of kilograms of fruit that would have otherwise gone to waste. More than 100 volunteers—many youth—participated, deepening their connection to local food systems and climate action. The fruit—apples, mulberries, cherries, and more—was redistributed to households and food banks, improving food access in underserved Montreal communities. Volunteers often expressed how this work strengthened their bonds with the land and their neighborhoods.

Through the support of the Action Grant, Simone gained capacity to expand partnerships with groups like Santropol Roulant and other food justice organizations, boosting the reach and resilience of youth-led grassroots climate initiatives across the city. Reflecting on the progress, she said,

“There’s definitely hope. The goal is creating structural change that lets all collective members participate in ways that suit them and fosters their autonomy to become ambassadors of the project. I hope this leads to less turnover, more continuity, and overall stability in the collective’s growth.”

Despite challenges ahead, Simone remains inspired by the community’s enthusiasm and success:

“I have big hopes for what can be seen, even if it’s not always realistic. The amount of work we accomplished and seeing people have meaningful, fun participation gives me hope that it is working. It keeps me going and pushes me to get smarter and more creative in how I approach this work.”

Beyond their core community, Les Fruits Défendus is gaining wider recognition. A recent meeting with a downtown Montreal city councilor signaled growing municipal interest. The collective is preparing for a 2025 exhibition at BOSFAN, a city-owned museum, showcasing the cultural and ecological significance of their work. They’re also focusing on longstanding partnerships, like stewardship of a century-old apple orchard at a former convent, highlighting their deep roots in the community.

Now officially incorporated as a nonprofit, Les Fruits Défendus is preparing for its next growth phase. Furthering skills she got from the grant, Simone will join a coaching program this winter to develop the collective’s first theory of change and strategic plan, clarifying priorities, aligning impact goals, and mapping a sustainable path forward. She stresses the need for long-term stability to realize the city’s vast potential:

“What we’re trying to offer is needed on a much larger scale than what we’re doing now… we need more stability so our work can meet the demand and potential in the city—the hundreds of thousands of trees that could be harvested and the connections that could be made between people and community organizations.”

This growth will break down barriers and isolation within neighborhoods, fostering stronger community cohesion. Simone also underscores the importance of close collaboration with local governments to influence policies on public fruit trees and urban harvesting:

“It’s very important for us to collaborate with elected officials at every level—to pressure change and provide a service that helps them transition policies concerning public fruit trees, harvesting, and funding.”

With evolving municipal support and strengthened governance, Les Fruits Défendus is building a sustainable foundation grounded in youth leadership and community resilience, with the goal of full autonomy.

Join us in supporting youth-led environmental initiatives like Simone’s Les Fruits Défendus. Your contribution can help expand their capacity to prevent food waste, build resilient communities, and foster connections between people and nature. Give today to support community consultations and outreach that deepen neighborhood engagement.

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*Montreal is situated on the traditional territory of the Kanien’kehà:ka (Mohawk) Nation, including the Kanien’kehá:ka of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Huron/Wendat, Abenaki, and Anishinaabeg.