Just a 5 minute drive from Superfeet Headquarters in Ferndale, Wash., lies a tiny plot land, cultivated by a small group of people with an advantageous goal: provide the local food bank with a year-round supply of fresh, organic produce — the first fruit off the vine, not the castaway veggies and unwanted leftovers that line the shelves of a typical food bank.
It's a place where neighbors work side by side to grow and harvest a rainbow of fruits and vegetables — nutritious food destined for the dinner table of those in our community who need extra help filling their plates.
We at Superfeet are lucky enough to get to roll up our sleeves and lend hands-on support to the Ferndale "First Fruit" Community Garden.
Last March, a group of us helped get the garden ready for the season, tilling the soil, transplanting broccoli starts, sowing seeds and more. And just a few weeks ago, we headed back to the garden to help put a big portion of it to sleep for the year, saving seeds, harvesting squash, picking apples and planting cover crop.
During the time in between those two work parties, the garden has produced 5,000 lbs of organic produce, all going straight the Ferndale Food Bank.
A big shout out to Greg Hart and Gloria Perez, Ferndale citizens and organizers of the community garden. We are honored to play a small role in helping it come to life.
By the way, the forecast on this day called for 70% chance of precipitation and blustery winds (read: rain that falls sideways). Like true PNW'ers, we donned our layers, rain gear and work boots, ready for whatever Mother Nature planned to throw our way. But just as we arrived at the garden, the clouds parted and the sun made its appearance.
Magical, unseasonably dry weather in a place that is just that: pure magic.