Mukai Farm & Garden has been awarded $500,000 in federal community project funding for the restoration of its 1926 Fruit Barreling plant — a significant measure of support for Mukai’s ambitious plans to create a multi-use community facility on the site at 18017 107th Ave SW.

The funding was realized in the recent passage of the $1.7 trillion omnibus appropriations in the U.S. Senate, which included the $500,000 to support the restoration of the barreling plant.

Representative Pramila Jayapal, whose support was crucial in garnering the appropriation, noted in her funding request that Mukai is the only remaining pre-World War II Japanese farm on the National Register of Historic Places that is open to the public.

Its revitalization, Jayapal said in her request, “will double opportunities for visitors to learn about historic, cultural, and social justice issues, including the impact of the 1942 internment order on Japanese Americans and the local community.”

Rita Brogan, president of Friends of Mukai, expressed gratitude for how the funding will kick-start efforts already underway to rehabilitate the barrelling plant into a community space for multicultural exhibitions and events and an incubator space for agricultural start-ups.

“Thanks to Representative Jayapal’s leadership, we have made a significant step toward transforming this precious community landmark into a living, breathing asset for Vashon and for all who honor the agrarian legacy of Japanese Americans on the West Coast,” said Brogan.

Friends of Mukai must still raise about $1 million to complete the building restoration and will invite continued community support from a variety of funding sources.

The fruit barreling plant was originally used by the Mukai family to process and pack their strawberry harvest. The building includes 5,200 square feet of internal space, as well as a 1,530 square foot covered veranda.

Friends of Mukai, a Vashon non-profit organization formed by local cultural preservation activists formed in 2012, is dedicated to the operation of the Mukai Farm & Garden. The organization took possession of the deteriorating site in 2018 — and has since transformed its 90-year-old house and grounds into a lively public gathering place and historical site.

Mukai Farm & Garden is currently open 365 days of the year, free to all visitors. For information about Mukai Farm & Garden and its programs, and how to donate or volunteer, visit mukai farmandgarden.org.