Apples, peaches, pears and plums will soon be in season in Lakewood.

Mountair Park Community Farm wants to offer fruit in addition to the vegetables it already offers to residents of the Sheridan community, and took the first steps on Sept. 10 with the help of Kaiser Permanente and Lakewood volunteers.

A dozen volunteers planted the first 24 of trees in a triangular piece of land near the farm. There will 50 trees in total in the orchard.

“It’s amazing how much the community has embraced this place — they needed this type of facility,” said Mayor Bob Murphy. “This orchard is a manifestation of the importance of partnerships here in the city.”

The orchard was born out of the community’s desire to have access to healthy fruit nearby, according to Ward 2 councilwoman Cindy Baroway. She also said the community has completely rallied around the farm, because they were looking for a way to get involved and get their hands dirty.

“It’s been great to see the look on the kids’ faces when the seeds they plant grow into something they can eat,” she said.

Kaiser makes it a priority to get involved in the community, and participating in the tree planting was a great opportunity for employees give back to Lakewood.

“We collaborated closely with Sprout City Farms and the City of Lakewood on the project,” said Angela Barrett, senior account executive with Kaiser. “As a nonprofit, we’re all about serving the community, and the trees we plant here will be able to provide fruit for countless families.”

For volunteers Michael Carlisle and Tabra Mumm, participating was an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful late summer weather, while helping the community.

“I wanted to get out and support Lakewood and the community for all of us,” Mumm said.