By Sara Franklin
My head is swimming with information about, and admiration for, GRuB (Garden Raised Bounty), an organization based in Olympia, Washington. What about the group made such an impression on me? Was it their exceptionally beautiful and bountiful on-site farm? Or their brand-new office/home complete with a teaching kitchen? Or was it their remarkable kindness and openness of the staff, particularly Anna Robinson and Kim Gaffi, sitting with me for nearly three hours while we discussed their programs and how they see their work interfacing with the national food justice movement? Well, yes, all of the above. But what struck me most was how much the folks at GRuB just get it.
With a staff of only 15 or so, GRuB manages to have their fingers in all sorts of pies - youth development, agricultural production, helping low-income families install home gardens, an emerging training of mentors program, “pollination” (a term GRuB prefers to replication, as it suggests the movement of ideas but allows for adaptation and flexibility) manuals and toolkits, nutrition education, job training, encouragement of local produce purchasing, social justice, dismantling racism, international food policy, structural and social change to end hunger… the list goes on and on.
Despite their interest in, and involvement with, a number of coalitions and cooperative initiatives in Olympia and beyond, GRuB’s pilot programs remain at the core of their work and mission. The Kitchen Garden Project installs over 100 home gardens in three counties each year, and also builds one community garden each year. Demand for these gardens has jumped tremendously over the past year, as the economy has taken a nosedive and interest in gardening is up. GRuB already has over 100 people on the waitlist for next spring. The staff is exploring how to hand over more of the project to community members so neighborhoods can have more autonomy over the program, and also so GRuB’s staff is stretched less thin. Many folks who receive gardens give back to the program by helping to install other gardens in their neighborhoods and providing training to new gardeners.
GRuB’s youth program is housed on-site and on a nearby plot where, in total, nearly 3 acres are under cultivation. The produce grown by the youth crew (30 in all this year) and farm manager is split between a market stand, CSA boxes, going home with the youth (they are all stakeholders and shareholders in the farm), and donations to the local Food Bank. Aside from gaining skills in food production and cooking, youth go through workshops about healthy relationships, leadership, job-training, public speaking, and a number of other personal- and community-development skills. GRuB sees their youth change over the course of the summer and academic year, and are now excited to be making preparations to hire their first alumni onto staff.
In addition to their own programs, GRuB is involved in a number of initiatives including Rooted in Community, Hunger-Free Thurston County, and various local collaborations. They have become a go-to source for information on youth development, home gardening, and integrative food justice thinking and programming in the Northwest. Founder Kim Gaffi spoke to me about the value of being connected with other groups, as networking with other experienced folks in the field keeps both new and seasoned organizations from wasting time on “reinventing the wheel”. GRuB has mentored a number of burgeoning organizations, and has become a local consultant of sorts on garden and farm projects. They have recently been approached by a local tribe about on-reservation farm projects, a project that Kim sees as an exciting shift towards working on anti-oppression issues as well as community organizing, an approach that GRuB is taking on more and more in place of the community leadership role that they have had in the past.
Any sadness I had about leaving Oregon was mitigated by the warm welcome I received at GRuB, and I can’t think of a better way to have transitioned into a new state than a visit with such an outstanding group! Now back to big city life. Next stop, Seattle.
