Next move for Delridge Produce Cooperative: Buyers’ Club

| Delridge | Health | How to help | West Seattle news

The nonprofit Delridge Produce Cooperative has been working for the past few years to find ways to get more fresh food to the supermarket-less stretches of eastern West Seattle – affordably! – and they’re inviting you to come on board for their next move: Forming a Buyers’ Club to buy local, organic food, “in bulk from local farms.” Anyone and everyone interested is invited to come to the club’s first meeting, 7 pm next Tuesday (June 21) at Delridge Community Center. Questions before you leap in? delridgeproducecoop@gmail.com or 206.660.8958.

11:15 AM WEDNESDAY: Galena White from the co-op writes to say they have a new website – so we’ve changed the link above: www.delridgeproducecoop.com

joseph June 15, 2011 (5:53 am)

Why do they keep saying “supermarket-less eastern West Seattle” Bus 120 runs and stops near the Westwood shopping center. Target now offers grocers including fresh fruits and vegetables.

I come from a grocery back ground and the area does not support a grocery store on ever corner . Maybe instead they should offer classes on good nutrition once a week at the QFC , or Target. Get people to understand what is good to eat. Also get them to see where they can og to get the fresh fruits and vegetable. We do have buses that run all over West Seattle.

Rod Clark June 15, 2011 (8:14 am)

It might actually be easier to go to the Pike Place Market on Metro than to the Target or QFC, if you live up there in the supermarket-less area. Getting to Westwood Village from the S-Less Area means either transferring to the infrequent 54 or 22, or walking 3/4 of a mile round trip from Delridge down and up the hill, lugging bags of groceries.
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Another easy destination is the Kress IGA downtown at 3rd and Pike. It’s about a block north of Bartell’s, on the other (west) side of the street, mid-block. Many people don’t realize it’s there because it’s hard to see the sign, but there’s a regular medium sized supermarket tucked away down there, at the bottom of an escalator.
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The 120 also goes past the Albertson’s in White Center, but you might want to go to one of the stores clustered at the end of the 120 route at the Burien Transit Center. The fare is the same, and it’s still only one bus ride each way. Safeway, Saar’s and Grocery Outlet are within a few blocks of there, and there are other nearby places in downtown Burien like Wayne’s Seafood and Meat.
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If you go to downtown Seattle on 3rd Avenue, you could even catch a frequent 3, 4 or 16 to the QFC at 500 Mercer, at the northeast corner of Seattle Center. It has a bit more of a selection than the Westwood Village store.
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On a related note, fans of decaying history can can see the deteriorated moldy remains of the old Tradewell sign still standing between O’Reilly Auto Parts and the Salvadorean Bakery at 16th and Roxbury.

WSB June 15, 2011 (8:19 am)

Sorry, I meant more “the supermarketless section of eastern West Seattle” than implying all of eastern WS is supermarketless.

Yardvark June 15, 2011 (8:28 am)

Nutrition classes are a great suggestion but they don’t really solve the issue unless those healthy foods are quick and easy to get.

Increasing access to fresh produce is the first step in giving busy folks the ability to easily put good, healthly food on the table without having to lug the produce home on the bus.

It might seem like an easy trip (and it is) but, given busy schedules, I’m sure those trips don’t often happen as much as folks would like.

It’s great to see this group stepping up to make it that make easier to get healthly food and to help improve the local recources in their community. Also great to see that more convenience stores and shops like Target are carrying produce these days. Excellent development!

GretaGrace June 15, 2011 (9:04 am)

I think your link to the Co-op is incorrect. It’s pointing to the Parks & Rec page for the Community center.

Joseph June 15, 2011 (10:27 am)

Yardvark

If you have been reading the artical thsi past Sunday in the Seattle times, they did place fresh fuirt and vegs in the 24 hr store on Delridge and it did not work out.
Why not have a Farmers market on Delridge sometime over the weekend. There is only one in West Seattle and that is in the junction. Also make a mixed of Organic producers with reg producers. organic is too expensive for some people. I know I like to have a Farmers market a long Delridge. They booths could be set up for nutrical info.

Rod Clark June 15, 2011 (10:28 am)

Sundays and Wednesdays are organic produce days at the Pike Place Market, when farmers bring organic veggies to the low tables in the middle of the market.
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The Burien Farmers Market is Thursdays from 11:00 to 6:00 at SW 5th and 152nd, through mid-October. That’s about a block south and a block west of the library/city hall. It’s not right next to the transit center, but it’s also a nice destination for people on the 120 and 560 routes.

Galena White June 15, 2011 (11:25 am)

I’m a volunteer for DPC (Delridge Produce Cooperative). Our goal is to provide reasonably priced, locally-grown, pesticide-free whole foods within walking distance to the center of Delridge neighborhood. We’re hoping that proximity and good prices will encourage people to eat better. It’s great that there are so many options, but we’d like to provide something that’s affordable and accessible to everyone in the neighborhood :-)

Noelle June 15, 2011 (11:29 am)

Would the produce be delivered to members’ homes, or is there some central pick-up location?

miws June 15, 2011 (1:41 pm)

Aw shucks Rod, ;-) I noticed the old Tradewell sign there recently. Didn’t recall them being there, but do recall the old Prairie Market.

Mike

Rod Clark June 15, 2011 (2:59 pm)

Tradewells were pretty good stores, though the one that comes to mind most was in the Junction near where Liberty Bell was. Quite a few stores have come and gone, but it still surprises me how vacant the Safeway spot is in downtown White Center, because at one time that was the busiest store in the area. What is it about that property, that no one has done anything substantial with it?

delridgeproducecoop June 15, 2011 (6:05 pm)

Noelle, There will be a pickup location.

joseph June 15, 2011 (7:18 pm)

I think we need a farmers market on Delridge on the weekend.

Rod Clark June 15, 2011 (9:48 pm)

Hey, ask Prium Development, who own the big ex-Safeway site. They have plenty of space in the parking lot.
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Maybe they want too much rent for it. But they’re asking $14.50 per square foot for the office space. That’s less than some office space rates in, say, Columbia City and there’s a thriving farmer’s market there.
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It’s practically the most convenient place in the universe, outside of downtown Seattle, for people to get there and back quickly on Metro.
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I don’t know. Where’s a better spot? There are the nice people who want to have a little craft fair in Highland Park with a handful of produce items that sell out before I get there. There are the nice people around Brandon Street who want to have a nice little local produce market just for the neighbors who live within walking distance. That’s all fine. But I want a big, hulking farmers market that draws droves of people from many miles around. Is that so wrong?

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