The Mt Baker ‘Food-Is-Free’ Giving Garden is located just north of McClellan on 33rd Avenue South. During the summer months neighbors and passers-by are encouraged to pick and enjoy the freshly grown produce which is freely available to everyone. The garden was started in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic as a way to foster community and support people who were feeling food-insecure. Now, the garden is a joyful space where brightly colored flowers grow in between rows of vegetables and volunteers experiment with growing techniques learned in the King County Master Gardeners program. Now that the weather has cooled, all of the late cucumbers and tomatoes have been picked; the beds have all been cleaned up and we have sown cover crops which will nourish the soil for next year’s vegetables.
Sharing meals is a universal way of building relationships, so this year leaders and volunteers at the Mt Baker Giving Garden came together for a fall harvest potluck to celebrate the work that we did; our deepening friendships; and our new partnership with Yvette Dinish who runs a Community Market in Rainier Beach where customers can find free food, produce and household essentials.
On a cool autumn evening, we gathered at the home of Mt Baker resident and Giving Garden leader, Page Pless, where we talked, laughed and shared stories over a delicious meal made with some of our freshly picked garden ingredients. Appetizers included homemade tomato jam, fresh parsley-sage pesto, and scarlet runner bean caponata. Because of the chilly weather, we were grateful to warm up with main courses of hot minestrone soup and dal with rice before we finished the meal with a delectable homemade mojito cheesecake.
Plants lean towards light and I believe that people lean toward community. At a time of increasing division, when so much of the world seems fractured, I am grateful for the places and spaces where we can cultivate opportunities to meet and share and, yes, learn to love each other better. I’m inspired by my fellow volunteer gardeners and people like Yvette Dinish who started the food-is-free Community Market in Rainier Beach.
At 76 years old, Yvette seems younger than her years. She is full of energy and is quick to smile and laugh but most of all – she is quick to show up for others- however she can. She says, “I believe in community and in showing up and volunteering where we can… If we are not part of the solution, we are part of the problem.” She knows that there is always work to be done and she is leading by example. It is estimated that the food-is-free Community Market which she runs, serves over 1,000 individuals and their families each month. She is able to provide an enormous quantity of free food because of her many organizational partners which include Northwest Harvest, Metropolitan Market, Rainier Beach Urban Farm, The Mt Baker Community Giving Garden and others.
Yvette and her son, Jason Anderson do a huge amount of work to coordinate donations, organize volunteers and greet their customers with smiles and love on Saturday mornings from 12pm to 2pm; and on Thursday afternoons from 1pm to 3pm. They ask that folks simply sign their first name and designate their zip code on a piece of paper, before choosing the free food that they would like to take with them. Yvette knows many repeat customers by name and their stories – who is caring for a sick relative or who is trying to feed 10 kids and extended family members. She sees everyone who comes in the door as part of her beloved community and knows that God and her faith are leading her in the work she is doing. Food that isn’t given away to customers directly is donated to several places including the tiny house village in Rainier Beach.
Yvette is not paid for this work. In fact, although she did get an initial grant to cover the rent for the space where the Community Market is located, she now pays that rent out of her own pocket. This is a challenge for her financially, but she has unshakeable faith that the work that she is doing is “God’s work” and that things will be fine. Her organization is not yet it’s own 501c3 but a fellow volunteer is helping to find a fiscal sponsor. If you would like to support its work, contact the Club over Facebook for donation information.
I’m so grateful to Lynda Firey-Oldroyd, a fellow leader at the Mt Baker Giving Garden, for organizing our partnership with Yvette (nicknamed, “Ms. Sunshine” by Lynda’s husband). “Ms Sunshine” is a fitting name for Yvette, whose warmth and love are palpable, and who has been growing community in Rainier Beach since 2019. I love that the food that is grown in the Mt Baker Giving Garden is also nourishing the larger community and helping us build relationships. If you would like to find out more, or volunteer at the Mt Baker Giving Garden, please email annemiller2733@gmail.com.