Food

 

Farmers' Market

Ballard (Sundays, 10am-3pm)

Market & Ballard Ave

Broadway (Sun, 11am-3pm, May10 - Dec 20)

10th Ave E and E Thomas, behind the Broadway B of A on Capitol Hill

Columbia City (Weds, 3pm-7pm, Apr29-Oct 21)

4801 Rainier Ave S, at S Edmonds

Fremont Craft Market (Sundays, 10am-4pm)

N 34th & Evanston Ave

Lake City (Thurs, 3-7pm,June 4-Oct 29)

NE 125th and 28th NE, next to Library off Lake City Way

Madison Madrona (Fri 3-7pm, starting May 16-Sept 26)

MLK & E. Union, Central District

Magnolia (Sat, 10am-2pm, May 23-Oct 10)

Next to the Magnolia Community Center at 2550 34th Ave W

Phinney (Fri, 3-7pm, May 29-Oct 2)

67th and Phinney Ave N, in the lower lot of the Phinney Neighborhood Center

University District (Sat, 9am-2pm, Year-round)

Corner of 50th and University Way NE, in the University Heights lot

Wallingford (Wed 3-7pm, May 20-Sept 30)

at Wallingford Center – Wallingford & 45th st

West Seattle (Sun, 10am-2pm, Year-round)

California Ave SW & SW Alaska, in the heart of the Junction

 

It's easy to use your Electronic Transfer Benefits (Quest cards) to buy fresh, healthy produce and other foods at the Farmers Markets.  To use your benefits at any of our Farmers Markets, simply go to the Market information booth, tell the staff how much money you would like to spend, and they will swipe your EBT/Quest card for the amount you request.  You will then be given tokens for the amount to buy fresh produce and other foods at the Market.  Hundreds of EBT users around Seattle use their Quest cards at a Farmers Market each week to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.  (Note that you cannot use your EBT tokens to buy flowers or other non-food items.)

WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program (WIC FMNP)

WIC FMNP checks are specifically for purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables at Farmers Markets (regular WIC coupons cannot be used at Farmers Markets).   You can use your WIC FMNP checks at any of our farmers markets to buy fresh fruits and vegetables (note that no cash change is given - you have to spend the entire amount of the check).   You must be already participating in the WIC program to be eligible for the WIC FMNP checks.  For more information about WIC FMNP, please call 1-800-841-1410.

Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Coupons (Senior FMNP)

For information on Senior FMNP coupons, please call Senior Information and Assistance at 206-448-3110 or 1-888-435-3377, or visit your nearest Senior and Information Program Office; or go online to www.agingkingcounty.org or http://nutrition.wsu.edu/markets/sfmnp.html.  This year, coupons are distributed by random lottery selection, and applications are due by May 21.  To be eligible, you must be 60 or older and have an annual income below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level.  You can use your Senior FMNP coupons at any of our Farmers Markets to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.  Use the coupons like cash (however, no cash change can be given - you have to spend the entire amount of the coupon).

WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Programs are sponsored by the US Dept of Agriculture; the WA State Dept of Health, Community Wellness and Prevention; and the WA State Dept of Social and Health Services, Aging and Disability Services Administration. )

 

Food Banks

Most food banks in Seattle serve very specific zip-codes. To find out what food banks you can visit, go to:

seattle.gov/humanservices/csd/survivalservices/emergencyfood/foodbanks.htm, but make sure you have an ID that matches the zip code the food bank services.

Most food banks also can provide “no-cook” bags for those who don’t have a kitchen.

Free Meals

Food Not Bombs!

FNB have three projects:

Thursday at 6:00(ish)pm, FNB serves a free veggie meal open to everyone at Occidental Park (in Pioneer Square).

Saturday Free Market - food (and sometimes household goods) donated from a local co-ops, distributed it at the Yesler Terrace Community Center at noon.

Cascade Free Market (309 Pontius Ave North) - The Cascade Free Market distributes produce every Sunday at 1pm, outside the Cascade People's Center, all are welcome.

My Sweet Lord – a free/cheap Hare Krishna café, open 7:30-11 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 1:30-4:30 p.m. Sunday. 5521 University Way in the University District.

Again, visit crisisclinic.org for more free community meals.

Gardening

Things grow well in Seattle. Well, things that don’t require too much sun and things that don’t mind too much drizzle. Growing your own food is wonderful, because it’s cheap, it subverts capitalism, it’s relaxing, and you get to control your source of food. Seattle Tilth (seattletilth.org) is an organization that helps people with organic gardening projects. If you don’t have any land to garden on, you can apply for a P-Patch (seattle.gov/neighborhoods/ppatch), which is a community gardening land-trust for organic gardeners.

 

 

Dumpstering

Dumpster diving, when done properly, is a safe and fun way of getting food, furniture, books, and who knows what else. If you’ve never done it before there are things you really MUST know before going. Usually dumpster diving is illegal, so you should take all necessary precautions before going out and diving in.

Etiquette:

1. First come first serve.

Dumpster divers don’t own the dumpster. If someone is there when you arrive, respect their space and if there’s enough room then hop in too. Don't demand a share of their spoils, however, making trades is often appreciated.

2. Take only what you need.

Many dumpsters have multiple groups of people who go to them at different times of the day or night. That means that if you clean a dumpster out of everything good, and you won't use everything, then it'll just go to waste again, whereas it could have been picked up by other dumpster divers at a later time.

3. CLEAN UP YOUR MESS!

Many stores and employees at stores don't mind dumpster divers (many employees dive themselves), but they'll start to mind if the divers make a huge mess. This is especially shitty for the employees, who are usually regular people like us, who already have shitty jobs. Let's not make their jobs shittier. Think of it this way: if you leave a mess, it's fairly likely that the business will start to lock their dumpster, which will greatly suck for you and anybody else who uses it. Leave it as nice as or nicer than you found it.

4. Don't spoil sites.

We don't want to bring unwanted attention to dumpsters. The more people you tell, the more likely it is that someone will go there and fuck things up. Use discretion when telling people about the places you frequent, and if you tell people who are new to dumpstering, be sure to tell them about good dumpster etiquette.

Tips:

1. Safety!

Go with another person! It's good to have backup, because you never know who might be there. Also, be aware of where you're putting your hand, because just like with everywhere, there are junkies who might leave their needles places, or broken glass, or rabid dogs, or zombies.

2. Escape Routes.

If you need to get out of there in a hurry, it's good to know the best route to take. HOWEVER, don't run if the cops show up. Dumpster diving at most is a trespassing charge, which is a misdemeanor (ie, not a big deal), but they probably won't even charge you with that. It's good to also prepare an excuse why you're there.

3. Gear.

Good gear to bring is a large backpack, a flashlight/headlamp, and gloves. If you have a car, bring some crates. If you're on a bike, a rack is good. Just in case, wear clothes that you don't mind getting a little dirty, and quality solid boots.

4. Locations.

Use creativity; stores with return policies, stores with display models, stores with products that expire, stores that throw away scraps, etc, are all good possibilities. Also a fun thing to do is pay attention to store news - ie, if a cooler breaks down at Safeway, they'll throw away things in their coolers. Factories are good places to go, because they will often throw away a whole box of something if there is a single 'defective' component, or often will produce a surplus that they’re not able to distribute. The sky is the limit!

Have fun, and play safe!