About Us

GROWINGGARDENS gets at the root of hunger in Portland, Oregon.  We organize hundreds of volunteers to build organic, raised bed vegetable gardens in backyards, front yards, side yards and even on balconies.  We support low income households for three years with seeds, plants, classes, mentors and more.  Our Youth Grow after school garden clubs grow the next generation of veggie eaters and growers!  Through Learn & Grow workshops and work parties, we teach gardeners all about growing, preparing and preserving healthful food while respecting the health of the environment.

We plant seeds for good food and healthy people by making sure low income people have the resources  they need to grow organic vegetables at home.  Through this work, community members meet over the backyard garden, through volunteering, by attending classes, and through sharing extra produce.

Awards

Rodney Bender, GROWINGGARDENS Garden Programs Manager, received the 2006 Skidmore Prize for Community from Willamette Week.  The prize recognizes the dedication and commitment of people 35 and younger who are working to make the region a great place through nonprofit organizations.

GROWINGGARDENS is proud to receive the 2006 Sustainable Community Award awarded by Food Front Cooperative Grocery.

GROWINGGARDENS is proud to be chosen as a 2003 Public Health Hero by Multnomah County Health Department! Growing Gardens also participates in GuideStar, the on-line standard for nonprofit accountability. Check out our listing.

Mission

GROWINGGARDENS promotes home-scale organic food gardening to improve nutrition, health and self-reliance while enhancing the quality of life and the environment for individuals and communities in Portland, Oregon.

Values

  • Access to healthful, culturally appropriate food is an inherent right.
  • Individuals and communities are empowered when they have the knowledge and skills to provide food.
  • All people deserve recognition and respect for their unique value.
  • Joy and fun are essential elements in any activity we host, promote, or undertake.
  • Trust, honesty, open-mindedness and accountability are core elements in all we do.
  • Quality of life is improved when we respect and honor our environment and when we promote the interconnection of all things.

History

GROWINGGARDENS was originally inspired by the legacy of Dan Barker's Home Gardening Project that built over 1,400 HomeGardens in Portland between 1983 and 1996.  When Dan  transitioned from building gardens to building a foundation supporting the start-up of programs across the country, a new and separate organization was incorporated in 1996 as the Portland Home Garden Project. 

Building home gardens and responding to local demand for school gardens and other organizations creating garden-based education programs, our name changed in 1998 to GROWINGGARDENS to reflect the breadth of mission.  We work with hundreds of volunteers to build home gardens, school gardens, and gardens for other organizations, providing three-year support, supplies, seeds and plants, mentoring and more.  Youth Grow after-school and summer garden clubs nurture the next generation of veggie eaters and growers while our Learn & Grow Workshops educate gardeners of all stripes to grow food at their doorstep.  Planting seeds for good food, healthy people and strong communities…we help people GROW!
 

2010 IRS Form 990
© 2006-2012 Growing Gardens    •   2203 NE Oregon St, Pdx, OR 97232    •    503.284.8420   •    contact us    •    sitemap

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