Fruit share Steinbach has ceased operations after an eight-year run. Founder Rebecca Hiebert has moved to Winnipeg where her children are pursuing their musical interests. She says no one stepped forward to take on the role.

"I was hoping that some contacts in Steinbach would be available to take over Fruit Share Steinbach. But it seems that people are involved in other things and there isn't anyone who has the time to put in the work that's involved to keep Fruit Share going. So, we're having to say goodbye. But we had a great run and we rescued over 20,000 tonnes of veggies and fruit, and we connected with tons of people."

Fruit Share enabled people to register surplus fruits and vegetables. Volunteer pickers would then harvest the produce, keep one-third for themselves, give one-third to the property owner and give one-third to a local charity. But Hiebert says there was a lot more to it than that.

"It was a really great experience for me, connecting with so many people in the community and I learned a ton. And, speaking to the past volunteers who were on our board, they were all sad to see Fruit Share go and they all had nice comments about how it impacted their lives. They learned how to preserve more food, they learned how to harvest different kinds of produce and it's been a great experience."

Even though the organization has folded, Hiebert urges people to keep its spirit alive.

"I encourage everyone to harvest their own fruits and veggies and, if they can't use them all, to find someone to share them with.You can bring them to the food bank. In my experience, they are always happy to have fresh produce to give to their participants and there are lots of other places in the community, we have them listed on our website, as places to donate. So, even though we're not doing it officially anymore, I encourage everyone to keep up the spirit and don't let the food go to waste."