Magnuson P-Patch Volunteers Donate Record Amount of Produce

By Mark Huston

For the 2023 gardening season, volunteers at Magnuson P-Patch donated and delivered a record 5,357 pounds of fresh organic produce to local food banks. This amazing amount is OVER TWO AND A HALF TONS and was 1,000 pounds more than the previous record of 4,345 pounds from this P-Patch last season.

Food bank garden box project at Magnuson P-Patch.

Magnuson P-Patch is a 150-plot community garden in Magnuson Park. Volunteers at this P-Patch participate in a well-organized and dynamic system for planting, growing, harvesting, processing, and delivering high-quality produce for local food banks.

Deliveries are made weekly to University Food Bank on Mondays, Magnuson Park Community Food Pantry on Wednesdays, and Lake City Food Bank on Fridays. Staff members at all of these food banks agree that recipients eagerly welcome the fresh produce from Magnuson P-Patch.

The increase in donations is due in part to a major project completed by volunteers at Magnuson P-Patch early in 2023. Magnuson P-Patch was awarded a $5,000 grant from SeedMoney to support food security. The volunteers installed a dozen planter boxes designated for growing produce for food banks. This project was completed under budget (barely!) and just in time for spring planting.

Cub Scout Pack 144 assists with the construction of food bank garden boxes.

Gardeners growing produce for food banks agreed that the new planter boxes were much more productive and efficient and were easy to work with. As a result, the gardeners were able to grow more produce than ever before.

This record delivery of produce by Magnuson P-Patch is the result of a lot of HARD WORK and DEDICATION by gardeners caring for food bank plots and by the organizers, harvesters, gleaners, preparers, and delivery drivers. And from many other P-Patch gardeners sharing their produce with the food bank program. And from a dedicated group of volunteers who worked on the grant project over the winter to build the beautiful set of food bank planter boxes.

Magnuson P-Patch volunteers are gratified by these extraordinary achievements to improve food security and assist neighbors in need.