The Marra Farm Coalition (MFC) nominated Marra Farm for the Opportunity Fund. The Coalition's mission is to “address community food security needs, provide a space for sustainable agriculture education, and engage community members.” Currently four members, Lettuce Link, Seattle Youth Garden Works, P-patch program, and the Mien Community Garden each roughly manage just under an acre of Marra Farm property.
The current MFC members are:
• Lettuce Link is a food security program and part of the Fremont Public Association. The Lettuce Link garden produced 13,000 pounds of produce on .75-acre of Marra Farm for South Park food banks in 2004. Lettuce Link also teaches South Park neighbors and students at
Concord Elementary School about farming, nutrition and environmental stewardship. Lettuce Link supports a children’s garden at Marra Farm. The program employs one full-time staff at Marra Farm and numerous volunteers.
• Seattle Youth Garden Works (SYGW) is a program of the Church Council of Greater Seattle that started in the University District to empower youth with garden-based education, training, and employment during the summer. Youth tend plots and sell produce at farmer’s markets. In 2005, 46 youth grew 2,000 pounds of produce on one-acre of the park. The SYGW program is now entirely based at Marra Farm (although many youth are bussed from the U-District during the summer). Four staff (some seasonal) are employed by the Church Council to administer the SYGW program.
• P-patch program is supported by Department of Neighborhood staff. In 2004, around 20 gardeners maintained plots at Marra Farm.
• Mien Community Garden is connected to WSU/King County Master Gardeners which employs an outreach coordinator who recruited Mien community members to farm on .75-acre using traditional Mien agricultural techniques. The produce supports the Mien community and local food banks.
• IMAPAL worked with volunteers and the King County Conservation District on a program that day-lighted and restored a stream on the Park’s western boundary. Future restoration efforts are likely.
• Master Composters/ Master Soil Builders have recently located informational programs to the farm. The program is operated through SPU and may expand at Marra Farm in the near future.
• Nearby neighbors, including Fred Marra, who farmed the property decades ago and now lives near the park, attend MFC meetings. MFC received a Race and Social Justice grant from DON to reach out to more community groups and involve them in Marra Farm programs.
• South Park Area Redevelopment Committee (SPARC) is the neighborhood plan stewardship group and provides the MFC with meeting space and liability insurance.
Marra Farm Coalition (Si hablo espanol):
Sue McGann (206) 694-6746
Timeline of the project(PDF)
Cronologia del comunitario Marra Farm(PDF)
Community Meeting #1 10/01/05
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Information about the farm from the 10/1/05 Public Workshop #1(PDF)
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Questionnaire from Public Workshop #1(PDF)
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Questionnaire results(PDF)
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Property survey(PDF)
Community Meeting #2 04/29/06
Meeting Notes(PDF)
Notas de la reunión(PDF)
Community Meeting #3 06/07/06
Meeting Notes(PDF)
3rd grade class survey/Encuesta sobre las clases de 3er grado
Open House/Meeting #4 10/07/06
Parks had a booth at the Marra Farm Coalition's Fall Festival to discuss the draft final of the long range development plan. Approximately 75 - 100 people attended the 3-hour event. Parks had Spanish and Mien interpreters available. Staff and the consultant engaged approximately two dozen people, answering questions about the project elements and schedule. Communnity members were supportive of the plan.
