Chef In Your Garden Was a WIN!
Chef In Your Garden 2024 wrapped up with an outstanding Lettuce Grow fundraiser featuring chef TJ of Sun Rice and Kolectivo. To say this evening was a success would be an understatement. We are so pleased to share that we raised a total of $10,880 to support our work cultivating change at correctional facilities across the state of Oregon. Plus these smiles are just priceless!
We're Launching a New Sponsorship Program!
At Growing Gardens, our mission to cultivate a healthy and equitable food system in Oregon is made possible through the invaluable support of our sponsors. Rather than partner up one event at a time, our new approach to sponsorship offers year-round promotional opportunities, ensuring visibility and recognition for your commitment to fostering positive change. Your sponsorship not only strengthens Growing Gardens but also aligns your brand with our principles of activism, advocacy, and social justice leadership. Together, we can sow the seeds of a healthier and more sustainable future for Oregon.
We Made It Into The Oregon Department of Corrections Blog!
We were so happy to see that our Lettuce Grow program was honored with a blog by The Oregon Department of Corrections. This is a special win for our Lettuce Grow team who is making such a massive impact for their program participants.
Have You Seen The Mural?
If you've driven by the office you may have seen the exciting new mural in progress by Lettuce Grow graduate Noelle St John. This project has been years in the making and we could not be happier to see it all come together. Keep an eye on your inbox for the full story - along with a list of easter eggs you can find hidden throughout the art!
Did You Catch Chef In Your Garden On KPTV Good Day Oregon!
Our Development Manager Thuy Pham and Chef TJ of Kolectivo and Sun Rice appeared on KPTV Good Day Oregon this month sharing a bit about our food system and our upcoming Chef In Your Garden dinner events. Check it out!
First Class at Oregon State Penitentiary!
Things are busy as always with Lettuce Grow, especially as we start to look forward to this growing season in the gardens inside of the correctional facilities we work in. Seeds are getting planted, compost applied, and our educational offerings are especially relevant as some folks have their first-ever gardening season, and can use their new knowledge.
A few weeks ago, we held our first-ever class at Oregon State Penitentiary, which is Oregon's oldest prison, and also the highest security. Our Education Manager Kate held a class of almost 25 students in the Seed to Supper course, which will last 6 weeks and will be proceeded by the OSU Sustainable Gardening Class. Big thanks to the Asian Pacific Family Club for making this happen, excited about the future of our offerings at OSP, and all of the AIC interest in education and opportunities to get their hands in the soil!
Check Out This Fun New Segment with Executive Director Jason Skipton On KATU!
You may have seen our Executive Director Jason Skipton appear on a recent KATU segment ~Help For Summer Garden Problems. We're so excited to share that this will be a once-a-month appearance helping you navigate those pesky gardening snags and creative solutions.
Greenhouse Project Update!
On Friday, June 28th, we had our first site visit to CROPS, the host of our future (16'x90') greenhouse. This greenhouse is a significant milestone for our UAIP/USDA grant and will be built in partnership with Mudbone Grown.
The handcrafted redwood greenhouse (16'x90'), made by SturdiBuilt, a local and family-owned business, will be installed on the 3.63-acre CROPS farm. CROPS (Community Reaps Our Produce and Shares) is a Multnomah County initiative that promotes culturally specific farming business development, healthy eating, and community building. CROPS is managed in partnership with Mudbone Grown and specifically focuses on Black and African Immigrant farmers.
Pictured here we see Aaron and Mark from SturdiBuilt, Arthur from Mudbone Grown, Rima Green, and Jordana Mendonça Valdés our new Greenhouse Program Manager!
Check Out This Amazing New Video With Roma!
We're so excited to share this amazing new video courtesy of our partners at the Providence Community Teaching Kitchen. Learn how to grow your own culinary herbs with a hydroponic system at home! In this video, Romanette Leiva, coordinator of the Garden of Giving community garden, will guide you step by step in creating your own home hydroponic system. Discover the necessary materials, how to assemble the system, tips for plant care, and much more. Growing your own fresh herbs has never been easier and more rewarding. Join us on this exciting gardening adventure and discover the joy of harvesting your own ingredients at home!
Introducing Chickie Week!
Youth Grow educators have been busy touring five little chicks around classrooms this March. Students practice their social/emotional skills they've been learning in garden class by holding a fuzzy little chick. One student reports, "These chickies fill my heart with so much happy!" 500 kids have held these birdies over the past two weeks. After their school tour, the chickens will go live with a community member as egg-laying hens. What a wonderful way to increase kindness in our community as we welcome in spring!
Community Sponsorships
These outstanding businesses and foundations keep hearts full and gardens thriving
A Little Love From Our Community!
Here, you'll find inspiring stories and experiences from members of our community who have been touched by our work at Growing Gardens. Has our approach to gardening and fresh food positively impacted your community? We want to hear from you! Click the button below to share your story.
Maria Remos
We moved from Hawaii after being priced out. Our family far, our support system just us. I had to stay home with the kids. Feeling alone and I looked for help gardening. Helping with my mental health and sense of community Growing Gardens provided tools and plants I couldn’t afford. They helped set me up at a community garden before helping me dig one with volunteers a year later. Now as home owner still struggling but blessed we still participate and need look forward to the plant giveaway. We love seeing the others being encouraged to grow, to learn, to connect with the land. Mahalo.
Christina Todd
My relationship with Growing Gardens began as a perennial donor (and I still am)! After receiving your newsletters and learning more about the organization, I was intrigued with the Lettuce Grow program.
I began to participate support the Chef In My Garden program by purchasing tickets and attending with my husband. At some point I trotted down to your offices and met Rima to see how or where I could support the Lettuce Grow program. I became a participant at Coffee Creek until a health condition took me out, but I still look forward to hearing from you via your newsletters!
Yoli Flores
I started working at Growing Gardens through an AmeriCorps service term. The Growing Gardens team was a second family to me. Growing Gardens set the standard for work life balance very high and due to the great life-changing skills I learned with my colleagues and Jason Skipton, the ED - the quality of my life is amazing. Working with Growing Gardens guided me in the best professional direction and I am very thankful for my experience with them. I appreciate the growth that Growing Gardens has made. Jason and his team are great leaders in this movement. I didn't realize that one term in AmeriCorps would mean a lifetime of love for this organization.
