Transitions at Village Gardens

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Dear Village Gardens Community,

After nearly 10 years with this amazing program, I have decided to transition out of my role as Program Director of Village Gardens. I have been deeply transformed by the Village Gardens community, and have learned a great deal about what it can mean to partner with people, play my part, follow the lead of others, take the lead when needed, and most importantly to trust in the wisdom of the community to know what it needs.  After a phenomenal decade, it is now time for me to focus energy on my own family and health, and I look forward to my next chapter with more time for my two year old.

Over my time at Village Gardens, I have had the opportunity to work alongside inspiring teenagers as they grew a working certified organic farm business from a small 700 square foot garden.  I have had the chance to see a community come together to open and support the Village Market, start a farmers market, launch new micro-enterprises, expand community gardens and orchards, lead community health promotion, and develop numerous community partnerships.  I have been able to work with an incredible staff made up of some of the most dedicated and generous people that I know. I have been honored to work with the community volunteers of Village Gardens who exceed all expectations with their vision, commitment, and generosity in service to improving their community for their neighbors and families. Together we have worked to create a bit more justice in the world – from healthy food access, to more jobs for teens, to community self-determination and collective voice.

I am forever grateful, and forever changed by this work, and I look forward to seeing the next chapter of the program unfold. I am confident in its future and make this transition believing strongly in its road ahead.  My last day as the director will be July 31st, though I will be available to support the transition period as needed over the next few months, and hope to stay connected to the program long-term as a committed volunteer and supporter. Delphine Criscenzo, who has been our Development Assistant this past year, will be stepping in as Interim Program Director while a full search for a new Program Director is conducted.  She can be reached at dcriscenzo@janusyouth.org and 503-927-0820.  We anticipate that the Program Director position will be posted shortly, and ask for your assistance in sharing the posting widely.

Thank you for your continued support of Village Gardens during this time of transition, and for all you have done to support the work thus far.  It is only because of the strength of your investment that Village Gardens continues to grow.

With a spirit of hope,

Amber Baker

Map to the Farmers Market

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Village Gardens Farmers Market
June 18 – September 24
3pm – 7 pm
Music — Vendors
Childrens Activities — Face Painting
Community Booth
Join our Volunteer Task Force and help determine the future of our farmers market


Village Gardens’ Farmers Market  is excited to be returning to New Columbia for our third season! Located outside of Village Market (4632 N. Trenton), the Farmers Market will provide local, seasonal and cultural vegetables grown by Village Gardens Market Gardeners and certified organic produce from Food Works Farm representing the culturally diverse neighborhoods of New Columbia and Portsmouth. The Village Gardens Market Gardeners hailing from several African countries will have a wide variety of  unique and cultural vegetables, such as: Amaranth leaf, squash leaf, bean leaf, African eggplant, chili pepper, tomatillos and squash blossoms to name a few. Please join us Thursday evenings for a fun and festive event, shop for produce, perfumes, and incense.  Enjoy hot food from our soul food vendors, tamales and with aqua fresca, and churros for dessert! This is sure to be a great community event, and a great way to support the neighborhood growers and  producers of these amazing products!

Portland Children’s Levy Update: A HUGE Thank You for Voicing Your Support!

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If you haven’t heard the good news, The Portland Children’s Levy Allocation Committee unanimously approved $166,667 in support of Village Gardens! We know this was much in part to the many emails sent by community members endorsing the great work of the program. Thank you to everyone who took the time to send an email on our behalf, and on behalf of the 4,000 children, youth and families in North Portland that Village Gardens helps.

This funding will allow Village Gardens to:

  • Provide 2,160 weekly meals and 2,700 lunches during the summer and out-of-school time for low-income children
  • Increase organic food production in 75 garden plots to combat hunger
  • Create a SNAP and WIC incentive program at Village Gardens’ community-run grocery store that sells high quality food and no alcohol, tobacco products or lottery tickets.

At Tuesday’s Allocation Committee meeting, Village Gardens’ Program Director Amber Baker had the opportunity to speak to committee members and thank them for reconsidering the program for funding in the Hunger Relief category.

“Thank you for considering our programs which do more than just provide a meal, they put youth in leadership as well. Youth are creating their own solutions for hunger in their community and they are very deserving of your support and funding,” Baker said.

Your ongoing support is incredibly valuable to all of us at Village Gardens! On behalf of our community, we thank you!

The Village Gardens Team

Portland Children’s Levy – Village Gardens NEEDS YOUR HELP…

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This past year the Portland Children’s Levy (PCL) added Hunger Relief to its funding tracts. Of the 12 applications received in the Hunger Relief category, Village Gardens’ application was ranked third. Recommended for funding by PCL staff, the Levy’s Allocations Committee ultimately elected not to fund Village Gardens’ application.

With $2 million in new funds now available, the PCL will reconsider projects not previously funded at their June 2nd meeting. With funding decisions being made NOW, we need you to IMMEDIATELY email every PCL Allocation Committee member asking them to fully fund Village Gardens in the Hunger Relief category.

PCL funding will mean that Village Gardens can: Provide 2,160 weekly meals and 2,700 lunches during the summer and out-of-school time for low-income children; Increase organic food production in 75 garden plots to combat hunger; Support cooking and nutrition workshops to address chronic health issues; Expand a teen-run organic farm to increase employment; and Create a SNAP and WIC incentive program at Village Gardens’ community-run grocery store that sells high quality food and no alcohol, tobacco products or lottery tickets

Since 2001, Village Gardens has addressed hunger, created jobs for teens and adults and improved health and safety in diverse, low-income North Portland neighborhoods where 95% of residents live at or below the federal poverty level, 69% of residents are people of color, 46% of households are headed by single mothers and 42% of the population is under age 18. Your voice will make a difference for 4,000 low-income Portland children, youth and families that Village Gardens helps.

Members of the Allocation Committee need to hear from you NOW! Email your endorsement tofully fund Village Gardens’ 3-year, $472,859 request in the Hunger Relief track to:

Dan Saltzman, dan@portlandoregon.gov

Deborah Kafoury, mult.chair@multco.us

Julie S. Young, juliesy@me.com

Serena Stoudamire-Wesley, crmk3@aol.com

Mitch Hornecker, mitch.hornecker.pcl@gmail.com

Portland Children’s Levy Staff:

Lisa Pellegrino, Director, lisa.pellegrino@portlandoregon.gov

Thank you so much for your support of the work we do!

The Village Gardens Team

The People’s Institute Northwest is Coming to New Columbia!

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Village Gardens has the great privilege to help host the People’s Institute Northwest at the end of April for a two and a half day Undoing Racism workshop.  Please share with your networks and sign up for the training if you are able. We hope to see you there!

THE PEOPLE’S INSTITUTE FOR SURVIVAL AND BEYOND PRESENTS:

UNDOINGRACISM® & COMMUNITY ORGANIZING

PORTLAND WORKSHOP

APRIL 23RD – 25TH 2015

This unique workshop is offered by The People’s Institute, a nationwide, multiracial, anti-racist network dedicated to ending racism and other forms of institutional oppression. Over the last 35 years, the People’s Institute has provided training, consultation, and leadership development to more than 500,000 people in organizations nationally and internationally. Graduates of the Undoing Racism Workshop say that racism often stands in the way of effective organizing and that the workshop helped them deal with both cultural competence and racial dynamics in their work and in community. The People’s Institute moves beyond a focus on the symptoms of racism to an understanding of what it is, where it comes from, how it functions, why it persists and how it can be undone. The workshop’s systemic approach stresses learning from history, developing leadership, maintaining accountability to communities, creating networks, undoing internalized oppression, and understanding the role of organizational gate-keeping in perpetuating racism.

April Workshop:

Thursday April 23rd 9:00am – 5:00pm

Friday April 24th 9:00am – 5:00pm

Saturday April 25th 9:00am – 12:00pm

Workshop Location:

New Columbia

Kandis Brewer Nunn Community Education Center

4625 N Trenton, Portland, 97203

Registration: Registration is $400.00 per person, $350.00 per person for groups or families of 3 or more.

Student/Intern/Community Member/Seniors (65+) registration is $170.00 per person; however reduced rate slots are limited. Please contact Michael Ware directly if interested (contact information below). REGISTRATION is REQUIRED before workshop date. To reserve your space contact Debbie Green at The People’s Institute Northwest Regional Office. Participants must commit to attend the entire Workshop. Space is limited. We look forward to YOU coming.

To Register: Please Contact Debbie Green

The People’s Institute Northwest Regional Office

206-938-1023 (phone) 206-770-7278 (fax) pinwseattle@yahoo.com (email)

For Portland Chapter specific information: Please Contact Michael Ware

503-380-5688 (phone) hapware@netzero.net (email)

CSA Share Fair: Spring Starts Here

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March 21st, 10am-2pm-This is a FREE Event

Calling all Portlanders who have ever wondered about joining a Community-Supported Agriculture program! The Portland-Area CSA Coalition and Ecotrust are teaming up to throw Portland’s first-ever public fair to celebrate CSA farms and the hard-working farmers behind this unique business model.

Join Food Works and other local farmers and come to Ecotrust’s new building, the Redd on Salmon Street, to be matched to the perfect CSA farmer for you and your family, while joining in chef demos, updating your cookbook library, and giving your kids a taste of farm life in the city. As spring dawns, renew your commitment to our local farmers and eat boatloads of fresh food.

Seats are still Available! RSVP Today!

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Buy your ticket today and join us on Thursday for Village Gardens Third Annual Spring Fundraising Event! Once a year comes the opportunity for our community, our partners and supporters to be together and celebrate and we would love for you to join us too!

Esbeidi, Roman and Keegan are ready to take your picture at our photo booth on Thursday and to find out why YOU support Village Gardens!

The evening will include food from James Beard Nominee Cathy Whims of Nostrana, a photo booth tended by our youth farmers, a silent and live auction, words from community partners and the premiere of a video directedby Food Works youth farmers!

Event Details

  • Thursday, March 12 6:00-9:00pm
  • Bauccio Commons, University of Portland

Funds raised at this event will be used to strengthen the work of Village Gardens through programs like Food Works which support youth becoming farmers and strong food system advocates,  assistcommunityleaderstooperatethe  Village Market, Portland’s first non-profit healthy corner store, develop powerful community organizers addressing community health through theCommunity Health Worker program, and strengthen channels for food access and  social capital through community gardens, urbanlivestock, our market gardener and micro-enterprise projects.

Food Works Video Premiere at Our Third Annual Spring Fundraiser!

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The Food Works Crew is directing a short video about youth leadership and about their work as organic farmers which will premiere on March 12th at our Third Annual Spring Fundraiser! You don’t want to miss it so be sure to BUY your ticket NOW!

“I can see a huge transformation from the day I first walked into the office to now, being out on the farm. It’s more of a self-growth that I have seen within myself and I have also seen a growth within my family. So the things that you learn at Food Works don’t only stick with you, but they stick with the people you care about the most as well.”  Marshalia, Food Works Crew Leader.

Join us on March 12th to find out more about Food Works and the difference it is making for Marshalia, Esbeidi, Roman, Keegan and the rest of the Food Works Crew!

You can find all the information you need about our upcoming Third Annual Spring Fundraiser HERE!

We look forward to seeing you on March 12th, 2015!

Save the Date! Our 3rd Annual Spring Fundraiser is March 12th!

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Join Village Gardens for our third annual spring fundraising event, an inspiring opportunity to celebrate and learn about Village Gardens’ work to create a more just and sustainable local food system in Portland. The evening will include community participant presentations highlighting program successes, dinner, speakers and a silent and live auction.

Event Details

  • Thursday, March 12 6:00-9:00pm
  • Bauccio Commons, University of Portland 

Funds raised at this event will be used to strengthen the work of Village Gardens through programs like Food Works which support youth becoming farmers and strong food system advocates,  assistcommunityleaderstooperatethe  Village Market, Portland’s first non-profit healthy corner store, develop powerful community organizers addressing community health through theCommunity Health Worker program, and strengthen channels for food access and  social capital through community gardens,  theurbanlivestock, our market gardener and micro-enterprise projects.

 

Happy Holidays from All of Us at Village Gardens!

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What an  incredible year 2014 has been! Thank you for being there with us! We are so excited about the prospects of 2015, but we need your support TODAY! Help us start the New Year celebrating a successful first Give!Guide campaign by making your tax deductible donation to Village Gardens TODAY!


The Village Garden Team sends you their best wishes for 2015 and looks forward to partneringwith you in the New Year. In 2014, our community’s commitment to unit cultures through dirthas continued to guide our work. We have grown our programing and our team of staff and community leaders. And we have exciting plans for the new year, starting with hiring our first Farmers Market Manager to help expend our pilot market.

The Village Gardens Farmers Market will not only create a venue for farm direct sales of produce and prepared foods, it will also act as a central gathering place for community members to meet each other, share their cultural food traditions, keep food dollars in local circulation, and support each other in developing healthy community norms.

We look forward to a great year with you! Thank you for your support and Happy Holidays!

With gratitude,
The Village Gardens Team

Pictures Tell Stories

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Last month, the Food Works Crew was introduced to some basic photography concepts during a workshop and got a chance to practice telling stories with pictures. They learned to experiment with framing and lighting and to be creative! Now, they bring you a series of pictures telling the story of their work on the farm and the social bonds it strengthens. Check out their amazing pictures.

Help Us Get Off to a Strong Start and Donate Today!

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Village Gardens is excited to be featured in theWillamette Week’s 2014 Give!Guide from November 5th to December 31st. TheGive!Guide offers you an opportunity to contribute to your favorite organization and win fun incentives!

Incentives include Chinook Books, tacos, concert and performance tickets, free ice cream, coffee, car wash, beer, wine and more! At Village Gardens, we will thank every donor personally and will add extra gift incentives! When you donate $25 or more, you will receive a $5 coupon to purchase produce at our Village Market,located 4632 N Trenton St, Portland, OR, 97203. When you donate $50 or more, you will also receive a $5 coupon to purchase produce at one of our Food Works Farm 2015 farmers market booths and one of our Soul Food Tote Bags.

Finally, Laughing Planet is also adding an extra gift for everyone who donates to Village Gardens through the Give!Guide this season. All donors will receive a coupon for a free burrito or bowl to use in any Laughing Planet restaurants. There are so many reasons to donate!

Are you under 35 years old? We need your support! The Give!Guide will add a bonus prize for the organization that gets the most donors under 35 years old!

During Give!Guide season, we plan to bring you the voices of our community through Social Media using photography, audio and video! A lot of fun awaits you on Facebook and Twitter! Look for #GardenPowerPDX

Village Gardens to Host Fall Celebration on October 31

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Join Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish, Multnomah County District 2 Commissioner Loretta Smith and Regence for the Village Gardens Fall Celebration on Friday afternoon, October 31. Hear updates on program growth, help us dedicate our new outdoor garden-based training space in memory of Trish Couture and participate in an apple cider pressing.

Date: Friday, October 31, 2014

Time: 1 – 3 pm

Location: Seeds of Harmony Garden, across from Regence Boys & Girls Club in New Columbia (4430 N Trenton St, Portland, Oregon 97203)

Cost: FREE

Village Gardens Farmers Market Starts July 10th!

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Village Gardens Farmers Market
Thursdays 3pm-7pm
July 10th-August 28th

Village Gardens’ Farmers Market  is excited to be returning to New Columbia for our second season! Located outside of Village Market (4632 N. Trenton), the Farmers Market will provide local, seasonal and cultural vegetables grown by Village Gardens Market Gardener and certified organic produce from Food Works Farm representing the culturally diverse neighborhoods of New Columbia and Portsmouth. The Village Gardens Market Gardeners hail from the Congo, Burundi and Mexico. They will have a wide variety of  unique and cultural vegetables, such as: Amaranth leaf, squash leaf, bean leaf, African eggplant, chili pepper, tomatillos and squash blossoms to name a few. Please join us Thursday evenings for a fun and festive event, shop for produce, enjoy some injera with lentils or tamales with aqua fresca! This is sure to be a great community event, and a great way to support the neighborhood growers and  producers of these amazing products!

Support Food Works! Sign Up for their CSA Today!

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Join the Food Works 2014 CSA!

Our CSA is designed for folks who want to support the Food Works program as well as receive great farm fresh produce! For 21 weeks, from mid June through the end of October (Starting June 11), you’ll pick up your weekly share of beautiful, local, organic produce at one of three drop sites. You’ll also be supporting low income families in North Portland to receive the same beautiful, local, organic produce for free. 

How much does it cost?

The 21 week CSA share is $600. We think that this is a great value for the amount of local organic produce you will receive.

How Do I Join the CSA?

Email us at foodworks@janusyouth.org for information regarding the CSA.

Where Are Our Drop Sites?

We offer 4 sites to pick up your weekly box at:

  • Portland State Farmers Market (Saturday, Downtown Portland)
  • St. Johns Farmers Market (Saturday, St. Johns)
  • Village Market (Wednesday, St. Johns)
  • Sisters of the Road (Thursday, Downtown Portland)

What’s In Our CSA Share?

  • Always Includes 7-12 different vegetables each week
  • It’s a great size for a family of four or a couple hungry adults.
  • Includes the Food Works newsletter that keeps you up to date on farm happenings, what’s in season, our favoriterecipes, youth writings and Food Works program updates.

Testimony from our 2012 CSA members:

“MUCH better than previous CSAs that I have participated in. Everything was *super* fresh.”
“Always fantastic: fresh, not even anything that was past its prime, and with just the right amount of dirt / imperfections to make it feel like you’re eating real food. Am going to miss it until next year.”
“Great variety of produce, seeing the students working at the market, great value.”

 Below is sample CSA Boxes from the 2013 season:

Questions?

Please email us at foodworks@janusyouth.org with any questions that you have about the Food Works CSA. We would love to support you to become a member.

Second Annual Spring Fundraiser

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Join Village Gardens for our second annual spring fundraising event, an inspiring opportunity to celebrate and learn about Village Gardens work to create a more just and healthy food system in Portland. The evening will include food from James Beard Nominee Cathy Whims of Nostrana, community participant presentations highlighting program successes and a silent and live auction. 

Thanks to all our Event Sponsors and Donors!
Event Details

  • Friday, March 14 6:00-9:00pm
  • Bauccio Commons, University of Portland

Funds raised at this event will be used to strengthen programs like Food Works which support youth to grow as strong food system advocates,  assistcommunityleaderstooperatetheVillage Market, Portland’s first non-profit healthy corner store, develop powerful community organizers addressing community health through the Community Health Worker program, and strengthen channels for food access andsocial capital through community gardens,  theurbanlivestock   project, market gardener and micro-enterprise projects.

Generously Sponsored By

Attend the Event

  • Individual tickets for our Spring Fundraiser are $50.
  • Ticket sales will be closed Thursday, March 13th at 8:00 pm.
  • Buy Tickets Online ~ Purchase tickets online now and pick up your tickets at the door at will call.
  • Mail a Check~ Print out a registration form and mail your payment to Village Gardens, c/o Janus Youth, 707 NE Couch St, Portland OR, 97232. Tickets will be held at will call at the event.

Sponsor a Table

A Table Sponsor helps to support a successful event and fills the room with individuals interested in learning more about how Village Gardens is building a healthy, community-based food system. Your $500 table sponsorship includes 8 tickets to the event, recognition on table place cards, event program and online materials. 

Become an Event Sponsor

We are grateful for partner organizations, sponsors, funders, and volunteers who make our work possible each year. Contact Amber Baker at abaker@janusyouth.org with any questions or for more information. Thank you for your support!

Happy Holidays from Village Gardens

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Dear Village Gardens community,

As I think back on the 2013 season, I am touched by the deep dedication of our community leaders, staff, and each of you who have contributed to the success of Village Gardens this year.This season I stepped away from the program to welcome the birth of my first child, and our dedicated team continued to advance the good work of Village Gardens, while short-staffed for much of the growing season. This incredible team launched a new micro-enterprise project supporting families to begin growing produce to sell for the market, and others to begin prepared food businesses using the Village Market kitchen. Our team began a new community farmers market in New Columbia where these new enterprises showcased their products and sold healthy, culturally relevant foods back to their neighbors.  Garden leaders partnered with the   Portland Fruit Tree project to plant the first ever community orchard on a housing authority property. Our Community Health Worker team engaged in regional health care reform dialogues advocating for their communities and for peer health promotion. Gardens flourished, trees were planted, chickens foraged, youth grew into strong leaders.

2013 also marked the launch of our first annual fundraising dinner to support Village Gardens’ social justice work. With wonderful community support, we raised $33,000 for our programs. This winter we invite you to help us build on that momentum as we wrap up this incredible year. To continue to bring a spirit of hope to communities through food justice work, health promotion and positive neighborhood transformation, we need your help.  Please consider a gift to Village Gardens this holiday season.  At Village Gardens we absolutely know that “it takes a village.” Thank you for being a part of ours.

With deep gratitude,
Amber Baker
Village Gardens Program Director

Village Gardens 2013 Celebration

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2013 has been a great year at Village Gardens and there is a lot to celebrate! It was a successful growing season at the Seeds of Harmony & New Beginnings Gardens and the Food Works Farm. The Village Market continues to build on its success, offering more options for the community and expanding prepared food items from the deli. The Village Gardens Community Health Workers have also been busy promoting health in their communities. Launching new programming as well, the Village Gardens team laid the foundations for our neighborhood food hub by supporting micro-enterprise projects in food production and food preparation, and assisting these new ventures in accessing marketplaces.  In 2013, four gardening families began growing produce for sale on a new plot of land on Sauvie Island through our market garden project, and Rosario, a Village Market employee, started her micro-enterprise tamale business, Playa Del Sur, using the certified kitchen in the market. We provided a outlet for their produce and Rosario’s tamales by creating the Village Gardens Farmers Market, located outside the Village Market in New Columbia. Overall it was a fun and exciting year full of growth at Village Gardens and we want to celebrate all the collective success…with you! So please join Village Gardens for an inspiring opportunity to celebrate and learn about our work to create a more just and healthy food system in Portland. The evening will include food and drink, community participant presentations and an opportunity to join our efforts.

All are welcome to this FREE EVENT
Friday, December 13th, 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Village Market,  4632 N Trenton Portland , OR 97203
6:30pm ~ Village Market Open House, Michoacán Dinner
8:00pm ~ Presentation @ New Columbia CEC
Purchase dinner prepared by Playa Del Sur
Updates on Village Gardens progress and vision for 2014.
Inspiring testimonials by Village Gardens participants.

If you would like to pre-order tamales from Playa Del Sur for Holiday Parties or stocking up the freezer, contact Jason Skipton at 971-998-4064
Chicken Tamales-$15/Dozen
Christmas Tamales-$18/Dozen
Sweet Tamales-$12/Dozen
Order by December 10th for pick up at the event December 13t