The 46th Annual Pig Roast happening TODAY!
The 46th Annual Pig Roast is happening TODAY at 6 PM!
InterIm CDA’s 46th Annual Pig Roast will be hosted at the Danny Woo Garden! The Pig Roast allows us to connect with each other through storytelling and in-person connection. Bring your family and friends, all are welcome!

Save the Date! InterIm CDA 46th Annual Pig Roast
Save the Date!
InterIm CDA is hosting its 46th Annual Pig Roast in person! It will be hosted in the Danny Woo Garden, and it will take place on July 15 – 16. Make sure to mark the dates on your calendars!

The continuing legacy of volunteers in the Danny Woo Community Garden

There is no community garden without community.
The Danny Woo Community Garden is a sanctuary to its users in the Chinatown-International District, and it is an ever-changing space that demands constant maintenance and tender loving care. Its evolution and perseverance over the past four and a half decades are due to those dedicated groups and individuals who believe in the inherent value of green public space in the Chinatown-International District and – most importantly – aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. From the stairs, to the benches, to the artwork, almost every structure in the historic garden not built by a gardener was built by volunteer students or volunteer contractors. Even the seed-to-plate curriculum we teach in the Danny Woo Children’s Garden was created by the thoughtful work of a volunteer educator. It’s in this spirit that has kept the garden around over the years, and it’s in this spirit that the garden was created in 1975.
They probably didn’t call themselves volunteers back then but galvanized by the Asian American activist movement in the ‘60s and ‘70s, the first iteration of the garden was built by young people who had a vision for justice and the willingness to work. Facilitated by an innovative partnership between landowner Danny Woo and neighborhood activist “Uncle Bob” Santos, the humble hillside of weeds was transformed into a terraced oasis for neighborhood elders to grow vegetables, share food, and make friends.
Today we continue to value our partnerships with the many volunteer groups that visit and help in the garden, and we certainly couldn’t maintain the vast 1.5-acre footprint without them. Since January of 2019 we have hosted over 500 volunteers, which range from interested individuals, college classes, large foundations, and neighborhood groups. We would like to publicly thank them all for their friendship, support, and hard work. Here we’d like to take the opportunity to highlight just four of our volunteer heroes:
THE GATES FOUNDATION
On June 22nd we hosted the Gates Foundation for their Foundation Day of Caring. The Seattle-based foundation is the largest private philanthropy in the world, and we had the amazing opportunity to host CEO Susan Desmond-Hellman herself, along with 20 employees. While Susan was enthusiastically weeding, deep amongst a pile of blackberry bramble and bindweed, she listened to us tell her about the current struggles facing our low-income immigrant community and the importance of keeping healthy green space, affordable housing, and culturally appropriate social services in the neighborhood. Working with an organization like the Gates Foundation is incredibly important for the survival of programs like the Danny Woo Community Garden, and we are grateful for their continued support of the garden and of many of the programs at InterIm Community Development Association.
THE MISSION CONTINUES
The Mission Continues is a non-profit organization that serves veterans and connects them to meaningful community service projects. We are incredibly lucky to work with veteran volunteers who bring boundless enthusiasm and fun into the garden for each service project. Linh Thai, the City Impact Manager for Seattle, Tacoma, and Portland, has worked in the International District for many years. He brings individuals and families associated with veteran groups like Vets in Tech and Code Fellows to do a lot of literal heavy lifting in the garden and does a lot of the physical work himself! Since 2017 Linh and others have been our most consistent volunteer partners who bring not only people power, but donations and resources as well.
CITY FRUIT
The Danny Woo Community Garden is home to one of the most diverse mature fruit orchards in Seattle. With over 60 Asian pear, plum, apple, and cherry trees, we need a whole lot of help maintaining the orchard. City Fruit is a non-profit organization that helps care for urban fruit trees, provides classes, and brings volunteers to prune, harvest, and nurture trees so that no food is wasted. They volunteered twice in September, harvesting over 500 pounds of apples and pears from our trees. They were all given to gardeners or donated to local food banks, including ACRS Food Bank.
BOY SCOUTS TROOP 254
This Boy Scouts Troop is based in the Chinese Baptist Church in Beacon Hill, under the leadership of Scout Master Tim Louie. We are currently the site of two Eagle Scout projects from this troop. Jiawei Hu decided to do his Eagle Scout project in the garden and re-build stairs in a neglected and steep section near the entrance on Washington St. He said he wanted to do a project somewhere where it was needed, and that it would be an honor to give back to a beautiful community garden that serves a large group of elderly folks. “I hope the stairs we built will encourage more people to look after the well-being of the garden and make it a more welcoming place,” he said. “The new stairs will be much safer for the elderly gardeners to walk on, and so I hope walking on our stairs will make their day.” Nathaniel Wai, another Eagle Scout with Troop 254, is currently re-building a lookout structure in the garden to rebuild one that was first created in the early 90s by University of Washington students.
This beloved public space would not be possible without the support and efforts of volunteers, who have been responsible for the building and upkeep of the garden since young Asian American activists carried heavy timbers up the slopes to create the garden terraces. It has truly been made from the blood, sweat, and tears of hardworking people for almost 45 years!
The Danny Woo Community Garden hosts community volunteer days every first Saturday of the month. Join us for our next workday on October 5th 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Bring a water bottle and wear close-toed shoes. For more information visit www.dannywoogarden.org or email us at volunteer@interimcda.org.
InterIm’s Corner: Celebrating community with InterIm CDA

InterIm CDA hosted the second annual fall dinner ‘Connecting with Community’ on October 12th at Joyale Seafood restaurant.
The evening brought together 150 of InterIm CDA’s friends and supporters and we were honored to have the generation of activists who have dedicated their lives for decades fighting for justice and equity for the community, together with our young and upcoming activists who are engaged in fighting for the community.
The program began with a panel discussion titled ‘Continuing the Legacy of Activism’. A panel of three young activists in Seattle, Drag and Drop, owner Ryan Catabaya, Vanishing Seattle, founder Cynthia Brothers, Asian Counseling and Referral Service, civic engagement program manager, Joseph Lachman, and facilitator InterIm CDA, equitable development policy analyst, Derek Lum.
In another session, titled ‘Thriving through the activism’, the staff of InterIm CDA talked about their experiences while working for the community. The event was concluded with activ-ism stories shared by our long-time activists Francisco Irigon, Sharon Maeda, Matt Chan, Leslie Morishita, and State Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos.

The stories of heroic activism undertaken by the leaders present in the room together with stories shared by the younger generation of activists provided an opportunity to all present to be ener-gized, engaged and understand that activism lives on and that InterIm CDA will continue to carry on the legacy of our beloved Uncle Bob.
It was a great night of connecting with old and meeting new friends. InterIm CDA will be hosting the Connecting with Community Dinner on October 15th, 2020.We are excited to once again have the honor of bringing together the activists in the community to continue and advance our fight for justice and equality.


This content was sponosored by InterIm CDA.
InterIm’s Corner: A glimpse of work done by InterIm CDA in Chinatown/International District
This is a photo essay of some of the recent work done by InterIm CDA, including through their housing services programming, WILD programming and civic engagement programming. This content was sponsored by InterIm CDA.





InterIm’s Corner: InterIm CDA hosts 44th annual summer community pig roast in the Danny Woo Community Garden – July 12-13
The Danny Woo Community Garden was founded in 1975 by Uncle Bob Santos and is in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District at 620 South Main Street. What once was a barren hillside rife with weed and sticker bushes is now a 1.5-acre garden cultivated by elderly Asian immigrant residents of the neighborhood.
The garden is also home to a children’s garden, chicken coop, outdoor kitchen and fruit tree orchard, where children from preschool to high school learn seed-to-plate and environmental education. As the largest green space in the Chinatown/International District and Little Saigon area, the Danny Woo Community Garden is an essential place for the surrounding community to engage with nature, access safe and healthy food, and build cohesion with neighbors.
The pig roast
As the foundation of the Danny Woo Community Garden was being laid, Uncle Bob Santos concocted the brilliant idea to construct a roasting pit in the center of the garden. Prior to building the garden, Uncle Bob would host an annual pig roast for friends, family, and community members in his own backyard. With the new roasting pit now at the Danny Woo Community Garden, ICDA hosted their first Pig Roast on July 18th & 15th, 1975. 44 years later, the tradition lives on.
Hosted every second Friday of July, this event is truly community-centered. Gardeners, neighbors, staff and long-time community members of the CID gather around the pig to share stories and food. The event begins Friday evening when the pig is prepped and mounted onto the spit. For the next 12-15 hours, through the wee hours of the night and into Saturday morning, volunteers take shifts rotating the pig over the fire.
The 2019 Pig Roast begins Friday, July 12th at 6:00 PM. We will have delicious food donated by CID businesses and restaurants and drinks available for volunteers and guests. The community celebration commences the next day, Saturday, July 13th at 12:00 PM. This is a potluck lunch, so please bring a dish to share. Volunteers are needed for Friday’s event, overnight pig roasting, and Saturday’s community gathering.
Try your hand at turning a whole pig on a spit at this free annual community potluck that’s been going on since 1975—bring a tasty dish of your own to share.
44th Pig Roast - Danny Woo Community Garden
Join us at 44th Annual PIG ROAST in the Danny Woo Garden July 12-13, 2019
The 2019 Pig Roast begins Friday, July 12th at 6 PM. We will have delicious food donated by CID businesses and restaurants and drinks available for volunteers and guests. The community celebration commences the next day, Saturday, July 13th at 12 PM. This is a potluck lunch, so please bring a dish to share. Volunteers are needed for Friday's event, overnight pig roasting, and Saturday's community gathering.
Interested to volunteer, click on the link:
Danny Woo Community Garden Exhibit: Seeds of Change, Roots of Power
For Immediate Release
February 16, 2016
Contact:
Jill Wasberg, InterIm CDA: jwasberg@interimicda.org; 206.624.1802 ext. 31
Tiffanie Lam, Wing Luke Museum: pr@wingluke.org; 206.623.5124 ext. 119
Wing Luke Museum Celebrates 40 Years of the Danny Woo Community Garden with Exhibit: Seeds of Change, Roots of Power
Seattle – InterIm Community Development Association (CDA) and the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience will present a new exhibit in The Wing that showcases four decades of the positive impact of the Danny Woo Community Garden in Chinatown-International District in Seattle. The exhibit opens on Thursday, March 3, 2016, with a free reception open to the public as part of First Thursday.
The Danny Woo Community Garden created in 1975 by community activists and volunteers in an effort led by InterIm CDA is 1.5 acres of green space that sits between Interstate 5 and South Main Street in Chinatown-ID. For 41 years, it has provided 88 garden plots for low income, elderly Asian and Pacific Islander (API) and other immigrants and refugees. The garden is a source of food security, socialization, exercise and vegetables that reflect cultural and traditional API foods of choice: bok choy, bittermelon, daikon, watercress, perilla leaves, mugwort, Asian eggplants, Chinese bellflower, Chinese pears and more. The garden also contains 61 fruit trees and 15 chickens who eggs benefit the gardeners.
The Wing exhibit, Seeds of Change, Roots of Power, will tell the strong social justice and activist story behind those who helped make the garden possible at a crucial time in preserving the character and livability of Chinatown-ID in the 1970s. The construction of Interstate 5 had cut the neighborhood in half, threatened air quality, and created noise pollution. The construction of the Kingdome was also going to negatively impact the neighborhood’s residents by driving up cost of living and creating a more industrial setting.
At this time, health, housing, and other social service resources specifically targeted for Asian and Pacific Islanders were scarce. Local business and community leaders formed InterIm CDA to address this need. Let by Uncle Bob Santos in the late sixties and seventies, InterIm CDA created and preserved affordable housing, health clinics and other resources to help this predominantly low-income immigrant and refugee neighborhood, including the Danny Woo Community Garden.
The garden provided a much needed place for elders work in, to plant the foods they missed from their native countries, and to provide social connections, recreation and exercise for the aging immigrant residents.
InterIm CDA led activists and organizations in negotiating with local landowner and community leader Danny Woo to acquire his property on sloping open space in the north side of Chinatown-ID and convert it into a useful, functional space for the residents in the neighborhood. The original idea for the garden as well as the design came from, Diana Bower, a local architect and urban planner who served as a liaison between city departments and the ID, and Darlyn DelBoca, who helped start Seattle’s P-Patch program and who become the Danny Woo Garden’s first manager. Santos recruited staff and volunteers to plan and build the garden, terrace the slope, haul the lumber, till the soil, and plant the first seeds. As they did this, the community came together and broke down racial, ethnic, and generational barriers.
Santos recalls the day he negotiated the deal to acquire the land: “Danny and Wilma Woo owned the Quong Tuck Restaurant and Lounge, which was becoming the hangout for the InterIm staff and local community activists. One day I asked Danny Woo for permission to build a garden for the Asian elders on his property above Main Street. But as a nonprofit agency, I told him InterIm could only afford $1 a year for rent. I also asked him, ‘Oh, and by the way, could we have a long-term lease?’ Well, Danny said yes to the dollar, but no to the long-term lease. That was in 1975, and InterIm is still operating the garden.”
The Danny Woo Community Garden celebrates its 41st anniversary this year at the annual two-day community pig roast on July 15-16.
Seeds of Change, Roots of Power officially opens at the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience on March 3, 2016, and it will run through January of 2017. The exhibit will feature video interviews with gardeners, photography, a plant identification guide, and a walking tour map so that visitors can walk to the garden, located four blocks from the museum. The reception opens at 6:00 PM. The speaking program begins at 6:30 PM. There will be light refreshments. Entry is free.
For more information on the garden and to learn how to support its operations by becoming a Friend of the Danny Woo Community Garden, contact Jill Wasberg at InterIm CDA. For more information on the exhibit and the Wing Luke Museum, contact Tiffanie Lam.
Garden and neighborhood statistics:
- Number of plots and gardeners: 100 plots and 70 gardeners (approximately)
- Ethnicities represented in the garden: Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean, Mexican, European-American (Caucasian)
- Number of volunteers: 180-300 volunteers a year
- Number of youth/children pernyear who participate in educational programming: 125
- Number of visitors per year: 5,000 (approximately)
- Number of people who live in Chinatown-ID: 3,500
- Percentage of residents over 55 years of age: 42%
- Percentage of elders who live on incomes below $6,000/year: 75%
- Percentage of residents in Chinatown-ID who speak little to no English: Over 50%
More about InterIm CDA: InterIm CDA is a community-based nonprofit, with a 45-year history providing planning, advocacy, social services, affordable housing, a community garden, and environmental justice programs. InterIm CDA promotes policies and facilitates projects that bring together business leaders, property owners, residents and nonprofits to improve livability, health and sustainability of the CID.
Press Release - Seeds of Change Roots of Power 2.16.16
After School Garden Club
Have children ages 5-10 years old and want to introduce them to planting, chicken care, cooking healthy foods?
Join the After School Garden Club!
These free classes are from April 24- May 9 every Friday 4-5 p.m in the Danny Woo Community Garden.
Contact Katie at kamrhein@interimicda.org or call 206-624-1802 x 29
Help us receive a grant through Seeds of Change!
With Spring having just arrived, garden activity has been increasing. The apple and pear trees have bloomed and gardeners already have lovely plants growing. Children’s garden classes have begun!
As you may know, the garden is in need of funding. You can help! We are applying for a grant through Seeds of Change, a leading producer of certified organic seeds. In order to move forward in the selection process, we need to have popular votes. By voting every day during the voting period, you increase our likelihood of being selected to receive up to $20,000 in funding. Please visit the Seeds of Change Facebook page at www.facebook.com/seedsofchange or www.seedsofchangegrant.com and vote once per day from April 2 to April 20. Once voting closes, the 50 organizations with the most votes will move on to the final judging phase. Please spread the word and have friends, family, and anyone who cares about the garden vote!
If you feel like getting your hands dirty or working with children in the garden, we would love your help through volunteer work. We are always on the lookout for Children’s Garden Volunteers. Our classes are scheduled as follows.
- Mondays March 30-April 27 from 12:45-3:45PM- Denise Louie Education Center class 1
- Tuesdays April 21-May 12 from 8:15-11AM- Denise Louie Education Center class 2
- Wednesdays April 8-May 27 from 2:30-5:30PM- Bailey Gatzert Elementary After School Program
- Thursdays April 23-May 28 from 4-6PM- Chinese Information Service Center
- Fridays April 24-May 29 from 3:30-5:30PM- Nihonmachi Terrace Apts
We also have a need for volunteers to help with pruning, mulching, trash pick up, chicken coop cleaning, and general garden maintenance. Any certified arborists out there who are willing to donate their time? We would love to connect! We have regularly scheduled volunteer days on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
- Tuesdays- April 14-June 2 from 9:30-12:30, 1:30-4:30
- Thursdays- April 9-June 4 from 1-4PM
- Saturdays- every 3rd Saturday of the month from 10AM-2PM
To get involved by volunteering, please contact our volunteer coordinator, Lauren Wong, at lwong@interimicda.org.
Also in exciting news, check out the Sierra Club Magazine March/ April issue which features an article about sustainable food growing and includes photos of the garden and our beloved friend and previous garden manager, Jonathan Chen.
http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2015-2-march-april/feature/local-roots-vs-industrial-agriculture#8