Share the Harvest
The P-Patch program is dedicated to investing in food access and making sure that community members obtain a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through a sustainable food system that maximizes community self-reliance and social justice. Read our 2022 Sharing Abundance Report.
To that end, our P-Patch community gardens not only provide space for people to grow their own food but also grow food to share with food banks and feeding programs across the city.
Sharing Abundance does not belong to one organization or community group alone. In fact, sharing efforts can be more aptly described as a community of people growing food for food banks and other safety net programs in their neighborhoods. The emergence of Seattle's Giving Garden Network (SGGN) has provided the community with an opportunity to move to the next level and should prove to be a catalyst for great connectivity amongst sharing Gardeners and resources such as access to starts, trainings, and tools for communication.
Below you will find a list of the organizational players involved with the Sharing Abundance Community, along with a brief description of their roles, and associated weblinks for more details. If you want to get involved in the Giving Garden program, please contact P-Patch Community Gardening staff at (206) 684-0264 or p-patch.don@seattle.gov.
Photo: detail of produce from the Squire Park P-Patch Giving Garden Harvest courtesy of Carol Wessberg, 2018
Seattle's Giving Garden Network (SGGN)
- Promotes the wonderful work being done by the dedicated, hard-working people that grow food for their community;
- Assists giving gardeners across the city connect with each other and with their communities;
- Provides resources such as Giving Garden best practice and plant starts;
- Makes it easy for other interested volunteers to find a way to participate;
- Provides seeds for Giving Gardeners across the city, starting in 2018;
- Co-hosts a yearly Giving Gardener Gathering; starting in 2018.
City of Seattle's P-Patch Program (Department of Neighborhoods)
- Assists SGGN by providing updated contact information for Giving Gardeners;
- Promotes the Giving Garden community to new or interested gardeners;
- When appropriate, assists in the planning and execution of events, trainings or planning meetings related to the Giving Garden community;
- Provides gardening space to interested participants. In 2016, 49 P Patch community gardens had gleaning programs or a designated "giving garden" plot in which the food was grown for food banks and hot meal programs;
- Assists SGGN by providing updated contact information for Giving Gardeners;
- Hosts the Giving Garden List Serve Givinggardens@talk2.seattle.gov where community gardeners from around the city can connect and share information and resources;
- Promotes the Giving Garden community to new or interested gardeners, and encourages networking amongst P Patch communities. 40% of P Patch gardeners donate at least once a month;
- When appropriate, assists in the planning and execution of events, trainings or planning meetings related to the Giving Garden community;
- Assists new and struggling gardens with their Giving Gardens;
- Collects and documents pounds of produce donated by Giving Gardeners throughout the city.
GROW (formerly known as the P-Patch Trust)
https://www.grownorthwest.org/
- Assists with the organizing and training associated with Giving Garden specific skills and training in conjunction with the larger efforts to provide a clearinghouse of skills and tools (real and metaphorical) for leadership within the community gardening world;
- Advocates for community gardens in Seattle;
- Co-hosts (with SGGN) a yearly Giving Gardener Gathering; starting in 2018.
YOU (Community and Backyard Gardeners)
- Cultivates organic produce, harvests, and delivers to local food banks and programs providing meals to hungry people.
- Builds community and raises awareness regarding hunger in Seattle.