Growing Gardens in Portland, Ore., is planting more than just vegetables — it’s planting hope.
The nonprofit has been an important part of the city’s food landscape for nearly 30 years, creating what Executive Director Jason Skipton calls “garden-based interventions,” in an effort to “build and create equitable communities centering garden-based education and leadership development in agriculture.”
Growing Gardens has three core programs: Home Gardens, which plants in Portland backyards; Lettuce Grow, a hands-on, garden-based education for incarcerated students; and Youth Grow, a program that works with Portland public schools to provide learning gardens and hands-on education.
“Home Gardens is a three-year program where we offer support to gardeners who are interested in learning to grow their own food,” says Rashae Burns, who directs this program for Growing Gardens. “We give them seeds, plant starts, workshops and one-on-one support to the gardening spaces at home or spaces [elsewhere].”
Roma Leiva, home gardens partnership coordinator for Growing Gardens, says the Home Gardens program is an empowering process for home growers.
“This is a place where you can learn. You can learn constantly and be empowered to create your own garden, even if it’s to grow in a pot at home,” Leiva says.
Through hands-on support, education and ongoing mentorship, Growing Gardens is helping families grow their own fresh food, right at home. For many participants, this is a first step toward food security, better health and community ties, showing that food justice can start one seed at a time.
“Now is the time to invest in our local food system,” Skipton says. “Come and join us.”
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