TUCSON, Ariz. — Do your trees runneth over?
Has your backyard orchard become a garden of plenty?
It's the middle of citrus season here in Arizona and for some, that means bulging fruit trees or yards littered with rotting oranges.
Citrus is a multi-billion dollar industry in Arizona. The Arizona Department of Agriculture estimated that in the 2023-2024 season, Arizona farmers produced 38,000 tons of citrus.
Though backyard gardeners may not have literal tons of fruit on their trees, they can get pretty full. So what do you do when life gives you a few too many lemons?
The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona says you can donate them.
“We know a lot of people have citrus trees that are exploding with fruit," said Leanna Kruszewski, Director of Marketing for the food bank. "People don’t know what to do with them, so they give them to neighbors in their neighborhood, but this is an opportunity to share them across town.”
She says the food bank's "Super Citrus Saturdays" is a way to help share that surplus fruit while helping to prevent food waste and getting the food bank's users fresh, healthy donations.
“Donations of fresh produce are preferred because they’re healthy, they’re not always accessible for the neighbors that we serve,” said Kruszewski.
Last year, the Community Food Bank served over 170,000 people, and the demand keeps growing.
“The need is ever increasing," Kruszewski said, "and that’s why the response from our local community is super important.”
Though you can donate at the food bank during their regular hours, if it's too far a trip, the next Super Citrus Saturday is March 29 with drop-off locations at the Fry's Food and Drug stores at 7050 E 22nd St. and 9401 E 22nd St.
If you can't pick your own fruit, Kruszewski says you can request help from the Iskashitaa Refugee Network.
