When volunteers from the Burnley Fruit Squad knocked on his door,he became one of the project's first tree donors.
Burnley Fruit Squad is managed by the Richmond Community Learning Centre,with initial funding through the City of Yarra.
The centre's Oren Rozensweig says the squad formed late last year and now has 15 volunteers and six tree owners.
Volunteers have so far completed six training hours to learn to correctly harvest and prune trees. Many more hours have been spent doorknocking houses with fruit trees.
Of the fruit picked,the volunteers will share a little,one third will go to tree owners and the rest to people in need through the Richmond Churches food centre.
Manager Tammy Glavinovic says the centre's 60 volunteers feed about 300 people each week.
Each food package contains bread,fruit,vegetables,cold items including yoghurt and pies,and dried goods like canned food and muesli bars.
She says the Burnley Fruit Squad donations will provide fresher food than is currently donated through other sources.
"We don't get the A1 quality stuff,"she says.
"This is going to be straight off the tree and it's very,very fresh."
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The Richmond group has been guided by the Darebin Fruit Squad,which has picked more than 10,135 kilograms of fruit since its inception in 2013.
Mr Rozensweig says that as more apartments are built,there is increasing demand for projects that foster a sense of community.
Richmond Community Learning Centre also runs a monthly repair group for clothes and electrical equipment,where residents share skills to fix items for free.
"People are still looking for things to do and chances to meet their neighbours,"he says.
Ms Meldrum is yet to pick any fruit,but she is already feeling a greater sense of community.
When she walks down the street,she recognises people who own fruit trees in the area. She is more aware of the trees in her suburb. She's begun to strike up conversations with her own neighbours. And she's even keeping composting worms on her own balcony.
Ms Meldrum is reaping the benefits of her community project and the work itself hasn't even begun.
"I feel more connected to my community than I ever have,"she says.
"I just really enjoy that connection to nature and knowing at the end of the day I'm doing something small that can make a difference to someone."
To join the Burnley Fruit Squad,either as a volunteer or tree owner,call 9428 9901 or go towww.rclc.org.au.