Beacon Food Forest

The mission of Beacon Food Forest is built around three principles: to care for the earth, to care for the people, and to create a fair share for all. Beacon Food Forest began as shared vision with a small group of friends in 2009, and since then, thousands of volunteers have made BFF a reality: a public space for urban farming, open harvest, and connection to the earth and community!

Anyone can harvest the food we grow. This is your Food Forest!

The cost of living and food insecurity in Seattle continues to increase. Marginalized communities are disproportionately affected by these historically sharp increases. Beacon Food Forest provided over 2,200 pounds of food for our community in 2023. This includes over 400 pounds of food donated to Rainier Valley Food Bank. We are encouraged to have put this much onto our neighbors’ tables during these challenging times.

Beacon Food Forest continues to grow as we enter our 14th year. We founded the BIPOC Community Garden in 2022 which underwent an expansion in 2023-2024 thanks to community support. We have entered into a community partnerships to support food and land access for BIPOC populations in Seattle. These groups will work with Beacon Food Forest to steward the land and grow food in culturally relevant and impactful ways.

Your support helps us keep the Food Forest thriving as a public resource. As food assistance dwindles and costs of living rise, we rely on community support to keep our programs free, to provide refreshments at work parties, and to make our site ADA accessible. With your contributions, we can continue providing free food, healthy outdoor activities, skill-building opportunities, and a gathering place rooted in community care and mutual aid. 

Your donation helps us protect and steward the Food Forest year-round, support our BIPOC Community Garden, grow even more food for open harvest, and continue our deep collaboration with local partners doing urban food justice work.

Every dollar goes straight back into the land and the people who care for it:

• $25 buys a set of durable work gloves so volunteers can get their hands in the soil.
• $75 covers mulch to keep our outdoor preschool & community garden spaces accessible.
• $150 purchases new shovels, wheelbarrows, or tools for growing and maintaining free food.
• $250 supports one Herbal Wellness & Land Stewardship community workshop.
• $500 funds a season of supplies for our BIPOC Community Garden and Little Free Pantry.
• $1,000 helps us grow 500 pounds of free food for Rainier Valley Food Bank.

Because of your support, we were able to accomplish big, meaningful projects this year, including:

• Hiring a new Site & Programs Director to better support volunteers, programming, and land stewardship,
• Expanding our Food Bank Plot to three times its previous size,
• Donating over 700 pounds of fresh produce to local food banks,
• Completing wall construction and gravel compaction around our ADA tool shed and education circle,
• Bringing on a part-time Grants & Fundraising Coordinator to help strengthen our long-term sustainability,
• Building 12 new P-Patch garden plots, including 2 ADA-accessible plots,
• And shifting our education model from paid workshops to free community classes.

These changes are already making our space more accessible, more sustainable, and more rooted in community care – but they take ongoing resources to maintain and grow. If you believe in the work we're doing to promote food justice, land reciprocity, and urban reforestation then please consider making a gift this season. The Food Forest Collective is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and your donation is tax-deductible (Tax ID: 82-2990802).