Will Allen, McArthur Genius Fellow and Urban Farmer, Comes to Seattle

“Inside the Urban Farmer’s Studio” Caps off a Daylong Series Of Events to Help Communities Strengthen Access To Healthy Food Options

On Wednesday, February 3 at the Yesler Terrace Community Center, Creatives 4 Community (C4C) will host Mac Arthur Genius Fellow and Urban Farmer Will Allen as special guest for a “Peoples’ Roundtable.” Roundtable participants will include local grassroots organizations, urban farmers and community members. The Roundtable is part of a daylong series of events designed to help participants brainstorm ways that Seattle neighborhoods can improve their health, empower their residents and create access to healthy food throughout our city with simple, accessible urban growing techniques.

“Will Allen is to food what Van Jones is to energy,” says Eddie Hill, urban planner and C4C’s Executive Director. “We want more communities of color and low income people to take the lead in the Green Movement and Allen’s work represents the best in the United States in urban agriculture and food justice.”

Seattle has many successful emerging programs to reduce hunger and provide access to healthy, locally grown food. Allen will sit in with youth involved with the Youngstown F.E.E.S.T program to address ways youth can strengthen their participation in planning their own green future. F.E.E.S.T. which stands for Food Empowerment and Sustainability Team, is a weekly youth-led Roundtable where youth prepare healthy meals and learn about food.

At 7:00 pm at the Mercer Middle School Auditorium in Beacon Hill, Allen will cap off the day with Inside the Urban Farmer’s Studio, a free, community-wide discussion on food, urban farming and food policy to share ideas in a question and answer session with audience members.

Will Allen is the founder and president of the Rainbow Farmer’s Cooperative. One of the only African American farmers in the State of Wisconsin, Allen has struggled vigorously to alleviate the plight of the small family farmer. Allen is also the CEO of Growing Power, a national not-for-profit organization supporting the development of urban community food systems. He has over fifty years experience in farming, marketing and distributing food and has shared this knowledge with youth, adults, community groups, immigrants, farmers, and consumers.

Agenda

8:30am – 9:00am             “Morning Meet & Greet” – Yesler Terrace Community Center (Invite Only)

9:00am –Noon                  “Peoples’ Roundtable with Will” Yesler Terrace Community Center (Invite Only)

• 9 – 9:30am           Introduction to Process
• 9:30 – 10am         Asset Mapping Exercise
• 10 – 11:00am       Strategy Brainstorm
• 11 – Noon              Will Allen + Q&A

4:30pm – 6:30pm             “Young People’s Urban Ag Session with Will” Youngstown Center (Youth Only)

7:00pm – 9:00pm            Public Event: Inside the Urban Farmers Studio with Will Allen, Growing Power

This event is Funded and Sponsored by The City of Seattle Department of Planning and Development, Vulcan Inc., Seattle Parks and Recreation.

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