Agricultural Programs

The Olympia Kiwanis Club manages three gardens in the Olympia area with the mission to grow fresh, nutritious vegetables for the community, by the community. Over 20,000 pounds of produce is grown, harvested, and donated to the Thurston County Food Bank each year! Kiwanis has partnered with the Food Bank since 2010 to support this mission. Learn more >  Sign up to volunteer in the gardens by visiting our Volunteer Page.

There are several Community Gardens in our region that both raise produce for donation to the Thurston County Food Bank and provide garden space to community members to raise their own food. Check out our Community Gardens Map to find a site near you!

Do you have a little extra space in your home garden? How about planting a row to donate to the Food Bank? For a list of what crops we’d love to offer more of, and to learn how to donate your produce, please see Donate Fresh Produce for our downloadable Growers’ Guide and information about our Annual Growers’ Meeting.

All donations are accepted and appreciated! If, however, you are planning your garden plantings for the Food Bank, please use the following as a guide. (This list is specifically for backyard growers — larger growers, please keep doing what you’re doing!)

CROP WISHLIST:  Berries • Bok Choi • Broccoli • Collards • Corn (sweet!) • Cucumbers • Daikon radishes • Fava beans • Garlic!! (even the scapes!) • Grapes • Herbs (basil, cilantro, dill, parsley) • Leeks • Melons (any variety) • Microgreens • Napa cabbage • Onions!! • Shallots • Snap peas • Sweet Potatoes • Peppers!! (any variety, please label!) • Potatoes (different colors, fingerling) • Tomatoes (cherry, heirloom, Roma) • Winter Squash (heirloom varieties)

Gleaning means to harvest or collect leftover vegetables and fruit that would otherwise go to waste. The mission of Thurston County Food Bank’s Gleaning Program is to provide an abundance of fresh, locally-grown produce to our neighbors, while reducing food waste. Please visit our Volunteer page for more information and gleaning opportunities.  Learn More >

Thurston County Food Bank is proud to support the local agricultural economy by purchasing food from local farmers and distributing to clients that use our services. Food is purchased using grant funding administered from the USDA, WSDA, and Harvest Against Hunger. These funds not only help us support local farmers, increasing our community food resiliency, but also allow the Food Bank to purchase products not available from other sources. For more information on the benefits of and how to access local food, check out TCFB’s Give Local, Buy Local, Eat Local brochure.

Farmers can email vivianl@tcfb.org to learn more about partnering with Thurston County Food Bank.