Greenhouse is done: here's what that actually means

We finished the Chinook Farms greenhouse in January, and we want to explain what that means, because three Saturdays and 174 hours does not really tell the whole story. When we got there the structure was storm-damaged. It had to be taken apart completely, moved to a different spot on the property, and rebuilt from scratch with new poly insulation. That is what all three Saturdays were for (January 10th, 17th, and 24th, out in Snohomish, in January).

Thirty-four volunteers came out across those days. Some were from Eastlake, some were from the surrounding community, and a few drove out just because they wanted to help. It was cold, a lot colder than we expected. Some of the work was up on ladders and a lot of it was people standing in one place for a long time holding pieces together. But everyone stayed, and the structure went up.

Starting in 2026 the greenhouse is projected to produce around 30,000 pounds of fresh produce a year, and all of it goes to Food Bank Farms and then to families who don't always have access to fresh food. That's the part we keep coming back to. We wanted to build something that keeps producing after we leave, something that doesn't depend on us showing up again next month. Whether it actually plays out that way is something we'll find out over the next few years. For now the structure is up, insulated, and ready. Thank you to everyone who came out.