Farm Stand Season Recap! Harvest Fest Recap, Mural Highlight!

We did it! 

We wrapped up another incredible farm stand season, serving our neighborhood from June 15th to October 12th. This season was unique in many ways, from new farm stand fellows and a tremendous amount of volunteers to some fantastic highlights that show how much our farm stand has evolved and grown. Here’s a recap of what made this season unforgettable! 

 

This year marked the first season with our food hub nearly complete! With an almost finished space, we had more capacity to store and manage produce in ways that allowed us to better serve our neighborhood and add variety to our offerings. The completed food hub allowed us to operate the farm stand more efficiently with a new produce set up.

 

A significant change this season was the team having to adjust to new changes with Kerry being temporarily away, who is our food hub director and usual lead. Organization of the walk-in cooler and line management were two particular focuses that had to adjust with multiple fellows stepping up to fulfill that role in Kerry’s absence. The team demonstrated impressive adaptability and commitment to keep the farm stand running smoothly. 

 

Each week’s setup was seamless, following a now-familiar routine that allowed us to focus on welcoming our neighborhood and providing fresh, high-quality produce. However, our final farm stand of the season was bittersweet. We started the day with Kerry bringing donuts for the team as a warm gesture of gratitude for everyone’s hard work and dedication throughout the season. We had a smooth setup with extra time to recognize our hard-working volunteers by expressing our appreciation and rewarding them with farm stand beanies for the upcoming winter. We wrapped things up slightly earlier that day, ending our day with Salima Specialties for lunch. 

 

On average, we had an impressive amount of farmstand visitors this season, highlighting the need for our farmstand and its growing popularity. On average, we served around 150 neighborhood members at the farm stand and 33 patrons for our Community Supported Agriculture program each week. Another highlight this season would be our engagement on social media. We had 2 videos with 6000+ views of our staff demonstrating how to tackle food insecurity in the Rainier Beach neighborhood, increasing attention to our farm stand. With that, we had a huge increase in followers on Instagram, encouraging us to film and broadcast our upcoming tasks. 

 

Our partnerships and donations were a big part in our success as well. We are incredibly grateful to Beatrice, Hand & Hand, and Adasha for generously picking up produce from the food hub and sharing an abundant amount of quality produce with other communities in need, including refugee immigrants. Their support shows the collective effort that allows us to touch the lives of those we may not interact with directly, but are still addressing food insecurity through various avenues.

 

This season included some exciting new experiences for the fellows! They had the opportunity to visit Horseneck, Mara, and other farms for the first time, giving them a break from the city that allowed them to connect, learn, and bond outside the usual food hub environment and see where our produce stems from. With school in session, our fellows took what they learned during the season back into their studies, inspired by both the responsibilities they carried at the farm and the knowledge they gained from the farm stand experience.

 

As the season came to a close, we celebrated with Harvest Fest, an event to commemorate the end of farm stand operations for the year. This event was a wonderful gathering where our neighborhood came together to reflect on the season’s success and celebrate together. Adding to the excitement, we held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Phase 1 of our Food Innovation Center, an ambitious project designed to further support local food initiatives, enhance our hub, and increase our ability to serve the neighborhood in the long run. The Harvest Fest was a fitting way to end the season, filled with good food, laughter, and heartfelt appreciation for everyone who made the farm stand a success. This celebration was a reminder of our neighborhood efforts, partnerships, and friendships that have been built over the season.

 

Looking forward, we are already excited for our next farm stand season. Each year is a unique experience and we couldn’t be prouder of what we have accomplished. We hope to bring more abundance to the neighborhood and more cherishable moments. We want to say thank you to everyone who has supported or visited, and we hope to see you next season!