Last summer, Westridge resident Brian Smith noticed a large excess in produce from his local community garden. He couldn’t imagine it all going to waste.
Issaquah Highlands has three community gardens that provide residents with small patches, which are rented and assigned annually. The three gardens include Westridge, Sunset Walk 1 & 2, and Vista 1 & 2.
Community garden ambassadors represent each location, providing support and overseeing operations throughout the season. Ambassadors regularly visit the gardens and report back any maintenance issues or areas of concern. As an ambassador for Westridge Garden, Brian started working with fellow gardeners to collect and donate extra produce to Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank.
Since July 2024, over 70 pounds of fresh food have been donated. According to Brian, the most common crops in excess are tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, onions and radishes.
He says some gardeners rent plots but can’t maintain the crops due to their busy schedules, leaving grown produce left unused. Brian, alongside his neighbor Melanie, work to upkeep these patches and donate the extra yields. In the high-yield months, July and August, they collected almost 15 pounds of produce per week.
Brian has collected over 70 pounds of fresh food from the Westridge Garden for the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank.
He notes that gardening demands patience and hard work to care for crops while balancing a stable work life—a task especially demanding for parents who must also focus on their children. Despite this, there are numerous benefits to gardening. It’s a rewarding process that brings fresh, homegrown produce to the table with your own hands!
Additionally, tending a garden provides a productive and satisfying hobby. For Brian, the most inspiring aspect of gardening and donating his harvest is knowing that his efforts help provide someone else with a meal of fresh, nutritious food.
Brian aims to extend this project to other community gardens in Issaquah Highlands, recognizing the great potential in partnering with fellow neighbors to donate surplus crops. By building these connections and boosting donations, he hopes to provide even greater support to the community with fresh, homegrown produce.
For Brian, the shared effort of working as a community to provide fresher food for everyone far outweighs the challenges he has encountered. The opportunity to contribute to the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank adds an even deeper sense of purpose to his gardening efforts. He’s excited to see how our neighborhood comes together to celebrate the growth of fresh food.
Saira Hashmey is a member of the Highlands Youth Advisory Board and a Park Drive resident.
As published in the winter 2025 issue of Community Connect magazine >>>
