TACOMA, Wash. — On Tuesdays in downtown Tacoma, a line of several hundred people stretches around the block. It's a glimpse into the city's ongoing food crisis.
“The pandemic wiped me out. And now we're just looking for ways to make ends meet,” Scott says.
That's why Scott and nearly 300 more people come to Mi Centro's parking lot every week.
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“We don't ask for any information at all. It's just, 'Come get your food.' Enjoy the community. Come meet people,” says David Thompson.
For Thompson, it's simple. People have a right to fresh food. So he makes sure that happens.
He founded the Tacoma chapter of Food is Free. As the name suggests, dozens of volunteers come each week to hand out truckloads of free produce.
“Now you can come here and get some really great produce. And to be honest, I'm eating better than ever before. I have a lot more fresh vegetables and fruits,” Scott said. says.
Tuesday wasn't always like this, Thompson said. It started as a simple hobby.
“I had a garden that was too big for me. I found joy in growing things. So I became an urban farmer. I had too much food. In 2015, I grew it on a small table in front of my house. I started handing out , and it grew from there,” Thompson says.
There was also a growing need to provide more food to our food-insecure neighbors. So he started planting more gardens. He built a total of 62 raised bed gardens across the city.
“I decided to start creating gardens in town and encourage others to garden as well. Because it’s about getting them to donate a little bit extra,” Thompson said.
And it worked. Thompson has spent years building Tacoma's network of green thumbs. A gardener who returns what he has grown but no longer needs to feed other families. Sometimes he donates just a few tomatoes, sometimes he even donates an apple. No matter how small, the group takes it and makes sure to distribute it to local families.
“Just growing a little bit of food in your backyard can make a little difference in your community,” Thompson said.
However, the community's current needs far exceed donations to the garden. Thompson also found a solution to this problem by applying for a grant to secure additional funding for additional food.
“I love it. I love it,” Thompson says. “It certainly gave me purpose in life again.”
The organization has an app where people can register and have their surplus produce picked up and donated to those in need.
Here is the link to download the app.