By Julie Kelly

Recently, the board for the Mukilteo Community Garden (MCG) met with Alissa Jones from the Lynnwood Food Bank and Greg Malland with the Mukilteo Food Bank. In 2023, MCG donated over 2 tons of organic produce to these two groups. We were curious how our donations were handled, so Jones and Malland answered a series of questions:

How is produce distributed?

Jones: The Lynnwood Food Bank has a growing customer base, from 43,000 customers in 2019 to 152,000 customers in 2023. Produce donations have gone down in that time so we always need produce. And fresh produce is important because there’s a higher health disparity for those utilizing a food bank.

We have drive-thru distribution. When a customer drives up, they are greeted and given a checklist, then they pick based on the checklist. We prepackage produce which we store in a large refrigeration unit. We also offer food based on cultural needs, such as Asian, Spanish, or Middle Eastern. These are bagged separately and given to customers who request them. (Note: MCG grows a crop called gandana, a perennial leek from Afghanistan.)

Malland: The Mukilteo Food Bank is an all-volunteer organization. It serves 500 families twice a month. We also use a drive-thru distribution system. Customers receive a bag of staples such as cereal, canned tuna, etc. They also receive a meat bag and a produce bag. We buy produce, mainly onions, potatoes, celery, and leafy greens, from a local grower and supplement with additional produce from the Volunteers of America. Volunteer distribution captains determine the amount of produce to put in each bag and it varies with the seasons.

Is all the produce donated by the
Mukilteo Community Garden used?

Jones: Yes, people really appreciate fresh vegetables.

Malland: There’s probably some that’s not used, which is what can happen when you use a “one size fits all” model.

When you purchase vegetables,
where does the money come from?

Jones: Grants and donations

Malland: Largely donations

Do you do anything to
accommodate your customers’ preferences?

Jones: We do surveys of what people like and want. We also do cooking demonstrations – for example, how to use sweet potatoes, and we may send a recipe out with the product.

Malland: We constantly gather feedback, but since we have limited space we cannot offer specialized packages such as cultural foods.

What are some produce items people request?

Jones: Okra, Napa cabbage, bok choi, daikon radish, Chinese eggplant, tomatillo, avocados, peppers, chayote squash, cilantro, beets, turnips.

Malland: Beets and turnips.

Do you ever run out of food?

Jones: We run out of breads and sweets.

Malland: We spread it thin towards the end of each distribution

Do you ever turn anyone away?

Both: Never

What else do you seek out beside fresh produce?

Jones: Eggs, meat, milk, cultural dry goods.

Malland: Staple products like beans, rice, cereal, canned shops, vegetables and chili, and meat and protein though we have limited refrigerator and freezer space.

What sort of bags do you use to distribute food?

Jones: We buy bags so we appreciate donations of clean grocery bags, paper or plastic, especially the thick plastic. We also accept clean egg cartons.

Malland: We use QFC grocery bags.

The Mukilteo Community Garden is near the intersection of 44th Avenue West and 76th Street SW. Half of nearly 100 raised beds are rented by community members, who donate a minimum of 12 hours of volunteer time a year to raise food in the other half of the beds. Find information about the MCG at mukilteogarden.org.  MCG will host an open house on Aug. 17 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.