History

Filling Our Food Banks with Local Produce

The first food bank garden was located at the Port Townsend Mountain View Commons. It started in the spring of 2012 and was assisted by a grant from the Jefferson County Master Gardeners  Foundation and a generous donation from the Jefferson County Food Bank Association to construct a hoop house for tomato production. It came into fruition under the moxie of Judy Alexander. That year we harvested and delivered 800 lbs of fresh produce followed by over 3,000 lbs the following year.

In 2013 the Growers incorporated as a 501C3 non-profit under the name PT Food Bank Farms and Gardens of Jefferson County, shortened to the FoodBankGrowers.org for this website. The group created a formal Memorandum Of Understandings (MOUs) with landowners, procured insurance, and developed a webpage and a facebook page. The early organization was formalized under the leadership of Judy Alexander, Lys Burden  and Jo Yount. 

For a quick look through the years, check out this slide show by Lys Burden.  Or this one that "talks" you through the years using the same slides.

For a deeper look at our history open this PDF also by Lys Burden.                                     

Today

With multiple gardens growing for multiple Food Banks we needed to be more thoughtful about what we grow and how we communicate among growers and organizations.

This new website strives to capture Who we are, Why we grow, and How it’s managed so that this resource remains resilient and productive. Together we will strengthen local food security in a climate changing world.