Pete is one of those amazing people who seem to have boundless stores of energy. He is quick to volunteer for large-scale projects at the garden, such as pruning and spreading woodchips, and puts in many hours each season caring and tending the Giving Garden plot.
Last year, under Pete’s leadership, the Queen Anne P-Patch Giving Garden donated over 1200 pounds of produce! The vegetables go to The Lord's Table, a local meal program that serves hot dinners on the streets of downtown Seattle.
After growing up in Seattle, Pete moved to Oregon for work, where he became certified as a Master Gardener through the Oregon State University Extension program. When he moved back to Seattle in 2003, he got a plot at the Queen Anne P-Patch and became involved with the Giving Garden.
When asked why he grows for giving, he responds simply that it is satisfying. It's satisfying to grow the vegetables. And it’s satisfying to share the vegetables he grew with people who really need them. Pete finds his work in the Giving Garden a gratifying experience. The Lord's Table meal program feeds up to 200 people per night, so Pete knows that the produce from the Queen Anne P-Patch is definitely going to good use!
Over the past ten years, interest in the Giving Garden at the Queen Anne P-Patch has ebbed and flowed, but Pete has returned year after year and is always happy to see new gardeners take up the cause. Many young couples and families garden at the Queen Anne P-Patch. The community created around the Giving Garden allows for different generations to work together, growing food to share with those in need.
Thank you to Pete and all of the amazing Giving Gardeners out there!
~ Mariah Pepper, Harvest Coordinator
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