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Inter*Im Community Development Association |
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Danny Woo Community Garden Inter*Im manages this wonderful 1.5 acre green space located along South Main near Maynard Avenue South. The Danny Woo International District Garden currently has 99 plots and 68 gardeners. The garden has a great place in the community for those who tend the garden plots and cherish the opportunity to feel the earth. A number of gardeners get seeds from relatives in their native countries and use their traditional farming techniques to grow what is in their plots. Some of the foods they grow are not sold in America, so they save their seeds from year to year. Designation of the garden plots are determined under three circumstances. Preference is given to those over age sixty-five, residents of the C/ID, and those with an income at least 30 percent below the median income. The garden continues to flourish with the help of donations, fundraising, and volunteers. Volunteers include many community members of all ages. Students and faculty of the University of Washington, Americorps teams and individuals, and many other volunteers have built some of the structures in the garden. Since 1989, these structures have included a tool shed, an entry gate, stairs, elevated garden beds for gardeners with physical disabilities and the replacement of the original railroad tie terraces with concrete retaining walls. Inter*Im manages the garden but the Woo family, City of Seattle, and Department of Transportation own different sections of the garden. An annual pig roast takes place every year, an event that dates back to the ribbon cutting ceremony of the garden. The pig roast is a community celebration that allows a festival of socialization, sharing, and fun. The pig is roasted in a traditional Filipino style where the pig is wrapped in chicken wire and rotated manually on a spit. Members of the gardening community and other attendees bring side dishes and share in this district potluck.
HISTORY
One and a half acres of sloping open space land was located at the north side of the C/ID, much of it was covered with densely overgrown vegetation and berry brambles. There were landslide and and instability issues with building on the hillside. the owner, Danny Woo, was approached by Inter*Im. The initial proposal included a one-dollar per year rental fee with long-term lease of the property. Mr. Woo recognized the benefit to the community and agreed to lease the property for the purpose of constructing garden plots. Thirty years later, the garden remains in the same location. Constructing the garden was a significant community activity that gave people in and outside the C/ID a chance to get together to plan and build the garden, as well as build relationships. The garden was a way to for volunteers and community members to get involved. Most of the labor was done manually to reduce cost. Railroad ties were donated for terracing and retaining walls. Rocks were moved by wheelbarrow and dirt shoveled by hand. Since the land was on a slope, a French drainage system was built to reduce slippage and erosion after the rain. Fruit trees were planted and the plots sectioned off for the gardeners. Participants were involved on many different levels with the garden. The garden broke age barriers and made connections between different Asian and Pacific Islander minority groups. Many stories were exchanged and relationships created while planning and building the garden. It was a true community event where people were working together for their district.
Inter*Im is a 503(c) non-profit organization. Our mission is to support affordable housing, community and economic development in Seattle's ID/Chinatown neighborhood and other Asian Pacific Islander (API) communities in the Puget Sound region. If you would like to contribute to our programs or work as a volunteer, please call 206-624-1802 or email us at info@interimicda.org.
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Even
before the Danny Woo Community garden was built in 1975, the
Chinatown/International District (C/ID) community was very focused on
preserving, improving, and enhancing their neighborhood. Many of the
residents, including Asian immigrants resided in single room occupancy
(SRO) housing or hotels. As an urban neighborhood, the C/ID offered few
opportunities for interaction with natural settings. Residents of the
C/ID realized that preserving their community wasn't going to be enough.
The immigrant and elderly had an idea to build a community garden and
presented the idea to Inter*Im in 1975. Many of the C/ID residents had a
agrarian background and longstanding traditions of close ties with the
land. A community garden would not only allow them to feel the earth in
their hands again, but provide social connection, as well as recreation
and exercise.