It’s harvest time in Kansas City, and everyone from hipster teenagers to middle-aged researchers to soccer moms is out plucking fruit from nearby orchards. The fruit is free for the picking, thanks to a local organization exploding across the country.
The Giving Grove was just a concept 14 years ago. Now, the organization and its legions of volunteers have planted more than 14,000 trees in 17 cities spanning much of the country, all producing fruit anyone can take. The organization measures annual production in the millions of pounds, and impact in the thousands of people who turn out to pick fruit, trim trees, or just hang out in their 847 orchards.
“I feel like a fairy tale princess every lunch because I get to go out and just feast on little treats,” said Nova Henry, a senior at Kansas City Academy at 80th and Main Streets…