2012 Update:
Here are a few organizations that are accomplishing some of the ideas that are listed below. I thank the community of Portland for teaching me so much during my time in the city:
Kitchen Commons matches kitchen resources with community need, making it affordable and practical to cook healthy food, putting the dream of a food business in reach of low-income entrepreneurs, and advocating for food justice.
Farm My Yard
- Print out or Buy “Farm My Yard” Sign
- Place sign in a visible place
- Potential neighbor/farmer is attracted to farming your yard
- Use agreement which comes with sign, or use one provided below
- Your yard gets farmed, everyone wins!
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The Portland Urban Farm Project‘s mission is:
- To grow food locally within neighborhoods
- To share resources
- To build community
The following initiatives are goals of the Portland Urban Farm Project:
- Growing food on unused neighborhood plots of land such as personal yards, churches, schools and tearing up pavement/parking lots
- Developing neighborhood CSAs and/or farm stand produce markets within neighborhoods
- Creating tool libraries – sharing resources and tools within neighborhoods. Help start a Tool Library in your neighborhood! Learn about finances, fund-raising, outreach, publicity, technology, volunteer coordination and placemaking from other local tool libraries.
- Setting up community dinners for sharing food among neighbors
- Building commercial kitchen for use by moderate or low-income community members seeking to establish their own food busines
- Transforming yards into gardens – Offering fee-for-service projects for local landscape architects
- Saving seeds for use in the community for developing more urban farms
- Delivering food by bicycle for environmental considerations and to cut down on costs
The Portland Urban Farm Project addresses the following to build community:
- Food security
- Resource sharing
- Education
- Job creation
Contact me if you have a yard to contribute to growing food, would like to be a CSA member and/or interested in helping as a volunteer of the CSA. I will also be starting an internship program as well as a 10 month Tool Librarian program.
Send me ideas, thoughts or connections to people, organizations or businesses that might be interested in getting involved.
Thank you!
In cooperation,
Bob New
Filed under: Uncategorized
i would like to volunteer my time to help out with one of the urban farms in the area. i live in inner SE and could help most days after 1pm. i get around on my bike, but i do have a station wagon that i am willing to use for special occasions (haul soil, people or food). i also have a yard that is begging for a big garden. if someone needs a place to grow some food and is willing to share the harvest and gardening work i would love it if my yard could be of some use.
it is possible that i may be out of town following work during some of the summer months, but my yard would still be here. any ideas about who i should talk to or how to get involved would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Bob,
I’m excited about what you’re doing! I’m already a member of a CSA for this season, but might be interested in the future. I would definitely be interested in hearing about volunteer opportunities in NE Portland.
Thanks!
Chris
I have a lovely yard to contribute, and am interested in being a part! Thanks for your time.
breezie<3