Will Allen at Marra Farm

The Lettuce Link crew and a few long-time volunteers got to show off our Giving Garden at Marra Farm yesterday to Will Allen! Will is founder of Growing Power, recipient of the MacArthur Genius Award and a long admired hero of mine. There are so few real-life heroes in this world that I don't take that word lightly. He has shown the world a model of urban agriculture that feeds people, engages the community, creates jobs and transforms the lives of children and youth.

What an honor it was to have him generously admire the hard work that has gone into the Giving Garden, despite its winter pallor. He offered some great suggestions about boosting yields, developing an earned income stream (yes, selling part of our crops to support our program!), eliminating weeds and really getting our compost burning. The Seattle Channel followed him throughout the day and I'm curious how they documented the day. But most of all, I am ready to put his suggestions into place and am excited to see how his visit really gets our city and region focused on healthy, local food for ALL of us! Thank you to Eddie Hill from Creatives4Community for putting the event together. - Michelle Bates-Benetua, Lettuce Link program manager