In 2001, Community Leaders in the St. Johns Woods apartments (now Cathedral Gardens Apartments) in North Portland, organized with Janus Youth Programs' support to build a community garden in direct response to the poverty, isolation, gang activity and hunger that impacted their community and families. Janus Youth Programs continued to nurture the growth of Village Gardens through 2021.

A garden plot was dedicated to the youth in the community who grew salad greens for sale. The demand for salad greens grew at Portland Farmers Market much to the excitement of the youth. These Community Leaders believed a garden would unite the community for positive change and offer positive activities for the youth and healthy food for their neighborhood. The St. Johns Woods Garden project grew to be a highly successful effort over its first few years, often credited with reducing crime and vandalism and increasing a sense of neighborhood safety in the apartment complex.

In 2005 garden leaders wanted to share what they had done with another community and were invited by Home Forward to expand the project to the New Columbia and Tamaracks communities, two miles down the road. At the same time, the neighborhood youth who had been participating in the community gardens and selling salad greens expanded onto donated land on Sauvie Island providing additional employment and capacity to grow produce. For several years youth worked on the 2.5 acre Sauvie Island farm until the program had to close in 2018.

On July 1, 2021, Our Village Gardens separated from Janus Youth Programs and became an independent organization - accountable and working in solidarity with this communtiy. Today Village Gardens offers over 80 garden plots to neighbors in North Portland affordable housing communities, cultivates a community fruit orchard, employs youth and residents of North Portland affordable housing communities and provides a healthy corner grocery store in the neighborhood of New Columbia.