Join us on Monday, February 6th, 2012 @ in the basement of the Spiritual Israel Church and It's Army -- right next door to our new farm.

We'll be meeting, brainstorming and compiling all of your thoughts + designs to help us get an idea of how we should build our next 8,000 sq. foot farm. The goal? To start building ASAP and be ready to plant at least half of the site in March.

So whether you have ideas about bike powered composting systems, cob pizza ovens, innovative raised bed designs, rainwater harvesting, or rabbits/chickens... we want you to bring it.

Questions?

Scott: 206.660.2470 or scott@alleycatacres.com

Not to brag, but OUR BIRTHDAY ROCKED.


In 2010, 12 strangers came together with a mission to connect people, place + produce through building community run farms on underutilized space.

Since our initial potluck and brainstorming session, we've accomplished a lot. The past two years have been filled with amazing people, awesome memories and even more awesome high fives.

Here's some highlights:


 2010:

• We secured land and broke ground in Beacon Hill in February.
• By March, more than 60 people had joined forces with us to launch our first farm. The Seattle Times paid us a visit and we wound up on the front page of the NW Today Section.
• Our first harvest of 129 pounds of food was delivered via bicycle to the Beacon Ave Food Bank, with GOOD Magazine stopping by for a visit to shoot a film on our work.
• By May, we secured a 2nd farm in the Central District and launched work (and by work we mean work -- if you filled the water tank, you know what we mean!)
• Work parties continued over the summer, and by August, we were profiled by the American Institute of Architects during the New Edge New Blood exhibit.
• Other partnerships and events this year included: Earth Gay, Bikestravaganza, Community Agriculture Network, Queer Farmer Film Project, Helsing Junction Sleepover, and a Teach Out with CAGJ.
• By the end of the year, we grew over 800 pounds of food on both farms.

2011:

• In January, we launched registration for our 1st annual bicycle fundraiser.
• In March, more than 85 riders hit the streets with us to help raise more than $15,000 for the farms. 
• In June, we had honey bees and held a honey bee 101 with Urban Bee Co. We also joined with the CD Garden Tour and held a potluck on our 22nd + Union Farm. The summer would see more events on the farms - like ice cream float parties and more BBQ's in Beacon Hill.
• We were received the Green Globe Award for Sustainable Agriculture and Biosolid Recycling.
• Our scarecrow in the Central District decided to abandon ship in August. We made missing flyers for him. (Have you seen him yet? He's still MIA!)
• This year, partnerships/events included Seattle Academy, a panel discussion with Novella Carpenter and local area food advocates at Washington Hall, a panel discussion at the Seattle Public Library and one at Town Hall with Daniel Tucker, the author of Farm Together Now. 
• By the end of the year, we had produced more than 1,200 pounds of food.

 Whew! That's a lot! And those are just some memorable highlights! That's why we decided to celebrate two years of our organization - that, to this day is still 100% volunteer powered. 

Our birthday party reminded us of how powerful food can be as a vehicle for collaboration, for change and for empowerment. For 2012, we're launching a 3rd farm, a bike team, and we're working on launching a skill share program. Even more memories will be had!


Our birthday wouldn't have been as awesome without the support of our friends.


Specifically, a few shout outs:

Georgetown Brewing for "scratching our livers" with a keg of Mannys; Zipcar for pitching in $100 in driving credit; KIND Snacks for pitching in some yummy granola bars (and for providing a month long supply of bars for the raffle -- a surprise!), Clean Greens Farm for a month long CSA share, Shavi Snax for some delicious cake, John James for making mouth watering PB&J treats, LTD Art Gallery for hosting, and the amazing DJ Vanessa Nova for throwing down the beets for the night. And last but not least -- to Seattle Academy for joining us and talking about their work with us. 

We raised about $500 for the bike team! Which means.. we can almost get jerseys! 

Thanks again to everyone who came out and for your continued support -- Alleycat Acres is what it is because you are who you are. 
 

High fives!
-Alleycat Acres




PS. You should totally put your bike to use and ride with us in March to help us raise $25,000. Just sayin!

On our farms, or even on our bikes, we like to talk all things food. As an organization, we aim to make the process of farming accessible while collaborating with a network of organizations to further create dialogue and change around food.

That's why we're thrilled to be a partner for the museum's next exhibit -- Hungry Planet:

Representative of culture, tradition, and survival, what we eat is essential to our connections to each other and the earth. The Burke Museum presents Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, a traveling exhibit that provides a place to gather and discuss 21st century food issues and ideas.

Hungry Planet introduces families from 10 countries around the world through photographs of family members at home, at the market, and surrounded by a week’s worth of groceries. Additional text and displays explore topics from sustainable farming to cultural survival. These topics encourage us all to ask questions about our own food choices. Where does our food come from? How has the food we eat changed over time?

These questions are given a local, cultural lens in Salish Bounty: Traditional Native American Foods of Puget Sound, a supplementary display to Hungry Planet. The three-part display was created in close collaboration between the Burke Museum and local tribal members, and connects Burke Museum research on 5,000 years of tribal diets to current efforts to revitalize Coast Salish food traditions.

Every weekend, explore what the world eats through tastings, talks, and hands-on activities at the Burke. Presented in partnership with PCC Natural Markets and other organizations, the weekend event series will kick off on Saturday, January 28, with a day-long opening celebration.

Learn more: http://www.burkemuseum.org/hungry_planet/

Print this + Save. See you there!