Tacoma residents create food forest to address local food insecurity

Residents in the South End of Tacoma, Washington, have established a three-quarter-acre food forest within Charlotte’s Blueberry Park to provide healthy food to a neighborhood with limited grocery access.

This initiative follows decades of community organizing to preserve the land from development. Since 1997, the 23-acre park has allowed neighbors to pick blueberries for free during the summer months. The new food forest includes fruit trees, shrubs, and herbs chosen through consultations with local gardeners and cultural groups.

Rachel Kunze of the South End Neighborhood Council (SENC) helped identify culturally important foods that residents often struggle to find in neighborhood stores or food banks. The project aims to provide diverse produce, such as persimmons and pomegranates, while creating a year-round space for community engagement. The project responds to growing food insecurity in the U.S., where 48 million Americans face hunger.

In Tacoma’s South End, the situation is pressured by the closure of local grocery stores and limited transportation options. While the food forest cannot replace a grocery store, organizers hope it will serve as a community resource where residents can learn about local agriculture and reconnect with their food sources. Volunteers now maintain the site through regular work parties to weed and prune the plants. Although the forest faces some challenges like vandalism, the community continues to manage the space.

Parks Tacoma and SENC received a $171,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources in March 2025 to support these efforts.