Food is Free Tacoma
Our global supply chains for food and other goods are not as stable as we assumed they were. At the beginning of the global pandemic in 2020 we saw empty store shelves and across the board shortages in many grocery stores. Supply chains running from South America and the far east are susceptible to major disruptions from even relatively minor events. Most Americans only have a few days of food on hand. Food chain disruptions can have serious consequences for people in that position. If we look to the previous century and the Victory Garden Movement, we can find a very successful program that was able to produce 40% of the domestic consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in 1944. That was the height of the movement with an estimated 8 million gardens. The program brought municipalities, social clubs, and schools together with the federal government to encourage and educate gardeners. The World Health Organization recommends each adult eat approximately 1 pound of fresh fruits and vegetables each day. 20% of this works out to about 75 pounds per year per adult. In Tacoma the 20% Initiative would be almost 8000 tons. That’s a big number! We can count all the Puyallup and Orting farms since they would be local. Along with the commercial farms we can also have home gardeners help with achieving our goal. We share 20% of the crop with our garden stewards and share the remaining 80% at our FIG share events in the spring and summer months. We host our FIG share events at local parks with a focus in areas that are known food deserts. This year we are adding 4 more parks in addition to the parks that we shared at last year. These additional parks will be on a new day and time so that people can find a time that works for their schedules.Stewart Heights Park – 5715 Reginald Gutierrez Ln, Tacoma 98404 6-7:30 PM 5/4 6/1 6/29 7/27 8/24 Star Center – 3873 S 66th Street, Tacoma 98409 6-7:30 PM 5/11 6/8 7/6 8/3 8/31 Franklin Park - 1201 S Puget Sound Ave, Tacoma 98405 6-7:30 PM 5/18 6/15 7/13 8/10 9/7 Alling Park – 1134 S 60th Street, Tacoma 98408 6-7:30 PM 5/25 6/22 7/20 8/17 People’s Park – 900 MLK Jr Way, Tacoma 98405 12-3 PM 5/8 6/5 7/3 7/31 8/28 9/25 Jefferson Park – 801 N Mason Ave , Tacoma 98406 12-3 PM 5/15 6/12 7/10 8/7 9/4 Wapato Hills Park – 6231 S Wapato Street, Tacoma 98409 12-3 PM 5/22 6/19 7/17 8/14 9/11 Eastside Community Center – 1721 E 56th Street, Tacoma 98404 12-3 PM 5/29 6/26 7/24 8/21 9/18
This listing was last updated May 17, 2022
