The Genesis Project
Capstone/Senior Project Phase 1
Definition Statement:
How Might I Design A Way To Provide A Steady Supply Of Fresh Produce To The Issaquah Foodbank?
Nationwide Food Insecurity
1 in 6 children in the US suffer from food insecurity...
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Local Food Insecurity
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In June 2020, 1 out of 11 families in King County did not have enough to eat in the last week...
Food Supplemental programs
Food stamps, school lunches, and food banks work to provide food, but is it enough...
Why Does It Matter?
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Food insecure individuals exhibit impaired cognitive development and are at a higher risk for...
Why It Matters:
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Almost double foodbank usage nationwide due to COVID-19 (Interviews) (Hanson 2020)
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Analysis of the 2008 recession shows that the economic impacts of COVID-19 will be prolonged over the next few years (Interview) (Seattle & King County | Public Health)
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Low-income families generally consume a less nutritious diet compared to higher-income families (French 2019)
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Food insecurity is linked to a lower overall academic performance (Feeding America 2019)
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Food insecurity is linked to health conditions such as anemia, asthma, and nutrient deficiencies (Vickery, Williams, Lugo)
Nutrient deficient diet
Low-income, cannot afford healthy food
The Vicious Cycle
Lower academic performance
Generally lower job outlook
But How
Do We
The Cycle?
Break
Nutrient sufficient diet
Nutrient deficient diet
Higher-income, can afford healthy food
Break The Cycle
Adequate academic performance
Better job outlook
Lower academic performance
Generally lower job outlook
Low-income, cannot afford healthy food
Design: Urban Agriculture
Provide a food resource directly to the Issaquah Foodbank in the form of a community garden using urban agriculture methods.
description
Vision
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My goal is to implement a community garden dedicated to the Issaquah Foodbank, in hopes of meeting their high demands for fresh produce. According to my research and the food bank staff, low-income families proportionally eat less nutritious food compared to wealthier families. Poor nutrition is linked to a host of health issues such as vitamin deficiencies, anemia, asthma, diabetes, and obesity. Beyond health, it also negatively impacts the academic performance of the individual, taking away job opportunities down the road.
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By providing a garden for the Foodbank, not only does the Foodbank have direct access to their produce, but they can also decide what they want to grow, catering to their clients’ diverse food culture. While some people may not like fresh fruits and vegetables, wealth should not be the deciding factor of whether or not someone can eat healthily.
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For this project to be successful, I will need to create a three-way connection between the school, the Issaquah Foodbank, and the City. Branching off of this will be smaller connections to volunteers and donors from the community. I will have to do a lot of outreach, talking to different people, and establishing resource partnerships. I will need to create the design and have it ready by the beginning of the next school year to start the building process.
Mentorship
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My main mentor is Terry Bockovich. She has been helping me with my prototype garden and implementation. I will probably also need a mentor from the city. Currently, I am talking to Mary Embleton from KCD. She is going to refer me to other people from the city, but she has been helpful for my plan so far. Kim Skok is my contact from the foodbank.
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So far, Terry has helped me a lot by providing me with resources and ideas for my garden. She also helped me get it started, and gave me ideas of people to talk to. Mary Embleton is working on a list of people for me to talk to. She is on board with my project though and is very supportive. Kim Skok from the foodbank is on board with my project as well, but doesn’t know how many resources she can commit yet.
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Edit: My contact from the city is Cly Samson. She is super helpful and has been willing to brainstorm ideas with me before.
Benefits & Measures
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​My design will provide healthy produce to the clients of the Issaquah Foodbank. More important is the fact that this will provide a direct resource to the Foodbank, allowing them to grow specifically for their clients. I'm hoping that my model will also be replicable for food banks, schools, organizations, and individuals across the country.
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Even beyond health, though, is the climate aspect of building a garden. Using upcycled materials prevents things from going to the landfill, contributing to landfills. Additionally, eating food from your own garden will eliminate carbon emissions from traveling, food transportation, food manufacturing, fertilizer development, etc.
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For this project to be successful, I will need to create a threeway connection between the school, the Issaquah Foodbank, and the City. Branching off of this will be smaller connections to volunteers and donors from the community. I will have to do a lot of outreaching, talking to different people and establishing resource partnerships. I will need to create the design and have it ready by the beginning of the next school year to start the building process.
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Donate 1,000 pounds of produce from my backyard
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480 sq ft of growing space
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The final community garden build does not exceed $350 for budget
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Run gardening D-Lab
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Create an educational program for home gardening