SEATTLE — On a quarter-acre plot at Madison Street and Terry Avenue, volunteers cultivate fruits and vegetables to help feed the hungry.

“We go the extra mile in the sense we use the food we grow and use it in a way that is complementary to food service,” said Sue Williams, who volunteers at the garden that serves the St. James Cathedral Kitchen.

Volunteers at the kitchen help prepare dinner five days a week and breakfast Sunday mornings for anyone in need of a meal. The kitchen garden began in 2018 with milk crates and dirt-filled containers, but quickly expanded. Today, 30 beds are used to grow vegetables that include lettuce, tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers and squash, as well Asian pears, apples, figs and strawberries.

Each year, the urban garden — which shares its block with senior housing and medical offices — produces about 2,000 pounds of food from early March through early November, Williams said.

Recently, the lettuce, tomatoes, onions and summer squash volunteers harvested by volunteers went right to the kitchen.

“It’s just so fresh. They pick it in the morning and bring it in time for us to use it,” said Marty Young, one of the chefs who takes turns preparing dinners.

Some of the produce grown in the St. James Cathedral Kitchen garden. (Courtesy St. James Cathedral)

Young, who has volunteered at the Cathedral Kitchen for eight years, started cooking meals when the pandemic began. 

She works closely with the garden volunteers to coordinate items for her meals, usually served on Tuesdays. On Sundays, Young gives the garden volunteers a list of ingredients and they harvest the items. On Tuesday, Young starts prepping at 11 a.m. so the food is ready for the 4 p.m. serving time. 

On a recent Tuesday, she made beef stroganoff, accompanied by fresh green beans and a fruit salad from the garden. The meal was enjoyed by nearly 140 people, most of them regulars. “There are a lot of guys who come from work,” Young explained.

Fruits and vegetables from the garden are shared with Operation Nightwatch twice a month and any extra produce goes to the Food Bank at St. Mary’s, said Peter Burns, outreach assistant at St. James Cathedral. The Cathedral Kitchen also gleans food from grocery stores.

Volunteers plant vegetables in the garden at Madison Street and Terry Avenue that benefits the St. James Cathedral Kitchen meal program. (Courtesy St. James Cathedral)

The garden’s six regular volunteers receive help from other groups, such as students from nearby O’Dea High School and students from Seattle University, who volunteered in May. In addition, engineering students from Seattle U installed an irrigation system in 2019 and Boy Scouts constructed compost bins. 

The volunteers also make sure the garden is an attractive part of the community. Flowers and shrubs line the garden’s edge, providing important green space, Williams said.

“It shines for people walking by and for the neighborhood,” she added.

Read more about the St. James Cathedral Kitchen.