Mission Statement
Public Harvest is a consciously operated organization dedicated to increasing the awareness, access, and availability of publicly grown and harvested food for the local community.
Purpose Statement
Public Harvest was founded for the primary purpose of utilizing locally produced food that would otherwise go to waste. As an organization, our work is concentrated on the two main objectives of making information regarding the location and availability of public food more accessible to the general public, and organizing our communities to plant more freely available food. In pursuit of these objectives, we advocate for increased awareness about food consumption in general and promote participatory relationships between people and their food sources. We value community involvement, the practice of conservation, and an understanding of our interconnection with the entirety of nature. We seek to serve our communities by providing free food, hands-on experience, and relevant education. Finally, in all of our operations and engagements, Public Harvest aspires to be ecologically, socially, and personally sustainable and enriching.
Guiding Principles
- Share the rewards of the harvest with others. Share information regarding the location of resources.
- Treat public resources as common property. For food in short supply, harvest only a small portion. Harvest only fruit that you plan to use or share. Avoid the tragedy of the commons by accepting responsibility for the resources that you use.
- Consider the consequences of every action on the community and the environment. Every community has both seen and unseen interconnections. Every action should be evaluated by asking how the action will affect all the parts of the community in both the short and long run.
- Respect private boundaries. The success of public harvesting depends on the good will of the community. Respect property owners' wishes even in semi public places. Never harvest food from a private location without permission.