Mission & Impact

Our Vision

To nurture social connections, cohesive community, and food security in the Tumwater and greater Thurston County area.

Our Mission

Provide the physical and spiritual space for individuals to grow their own produce in a community garden plot and/or to collectively grow wholesome produce to distribute to our neighbors through the Thurston County Food Bank.

Our Values

• Neighborliness: Care for neighbors is core to the identity of Tumwater United Methodist Church. We recognize that this core value is rooted not just in the Christian scriptures that we follow, but is also shared among our many siblings who may or may not be connected to other faith traditions. Through our community garden, we seek to share our space with our neighbors irrespective of faith tradition wanting to grow fresh produce for their household. Through our food bank garden and orchard we seek to use our space to grow fresh fruit and vegetables to distribute to community members in need through the Thurston County Food Bank and to provide space to cultivate connections through service and celebration.

• Creation Care / Environmental Stewardship: We have a duty to maintain our space in a way that enables us to grow healthy and wholesome produce, ensure that we can do so into the future, and be good neighbors. To this end, we:

  • • prioritize environmentally friendly gardening methods including organic fertilizer, heirloom seeds, and pest control methods;

    • water judiciously, balancing the need for irrigation with our responsibility to conserve water as much as possible;

    • reduce waste by composting garden waste to the extent practicable, reusing and repairing equipment when necessary.

Partnerships

• Thurston County Food Bank: Every year, we harvest and collect produce to donate to the food bank.

  • • 2025: 541 pounds of produce was donated. Produce included: strawberries, lettuce, berries, green beans, beans, cucumbers, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, apples, peppers, cabbage, kale, chard, pumpkins, peas, radishes, celery

    • 2024: 254 pounds of produce was donated. Produce included: leeks, green onions, snow peas, squash, tomatoes, garlic, kale, onions, peas, potatoes, lettuce, yellow squash, cucumbers, green beans, beans, leafy greens, garlic chives, beets, turnips, carrots, broccoli, shallots, peppers, radishes, summer squash, delicata squash

    • 2023: 309 pounds of produce was donated. Produce included: lettuce, peas, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, beans, beets, carrots, leeks

• Tumwater Parks & Recreation: funding has been secured throughout the formative years through Tumwater Parks & Recreation

• Eastside Urban Farm & Garden: our 40 orchard trees came from Eastside Urban Farm & Garden

• Tumwater United Methodist Church: contributes through providing the land and water for the gardens