Yesterday, Earth Day 2010, was a very busy day, for most of Portland. There was all the usual workday things going on, plus all these different Earth Day activities and events that were held. It was hard to decide which ones to attend until I saw this one: A Planting Party for Hope Garden!
If you don’t already know, the Hope Garden is on the top of the Multnomah County building on 5th & Hawthorne in Southeast. Last year they grew over 500 pounds of fresh garden veggies to donate to the Loaves and Fishes agency. Over 1500 meals came from those veggies, and that’s a huge part of feeding Portland’s hungry.
If you want to make a donation to a charity, Loaves and Fishes is a great one to consider. They take food to people who can’t get their own; physically challenged individuals and the elderly are just two groups they feed. Another thing you could donate that would make a huge difference is pet foods. A lot of elderly people give their meals to their pets, so they can eat at least once a day. If their meal came with a can or bag of dog food, they both would be able to eat at least once a day. Think about it, Portland, and do what you can to help.
We planted 23 kinds of vegetables, including 6 varieties of potatoes, plus 12 kinds of herbs! There were about 20 of us and it was done in no time flat. It was also ‘Take Your Child to Work Day’ so some of the Multnomah County employees’ children were up there to help. They had fun learning, digging and planting and I had fun working with the kids. Many of the adults were part of Multnomah County’s Green Team, comprised of county employees from all branches, even some Police.
All County employees are invited to participate in the Multnomah County Green Team. The Green Team was formed to lead by example in making Multnomah County business practices environmentally sustainable. The Green Team's mission is to educate, provide policy recommendations, and organize projects that ensure a healthy environment, economy, and community.
Amy Joslin was the first manager of the Assisted Ability Initiative and the Hope Garden was a vision of hers. Sadly, she died of cancer, and that somehow gave new life to the garden idea, having it done in her memory. There’s a bronze plaque that tells about her beside the garden.
Steve Wright, sheriff’s representative to the Green Team, helped and watched proudly as the children and adults worked happily to get the garden planted. Joanne Fuller led the herb garden planting and Kathryn Richer, Grant Swanson and Tim Lynch helped with the veggies and anything else that needed to be done. It was Lynch’s second year on this project, so he knew how much good can come of it. Everyone had a great time and the work was done quickly.
How about it, Portland? Next year on Earth Day, let’s all help to plant the Hope Garden and other gardens around the city. Donate your time, or garden’s harvest and some pet food to the local Loaves and Fishes or Meals on Wheels programs. Show the Love, Portland!
Multnomah County would like to thank the donors from the community whose resources have made the 2010 Hope Garden project possible: Jason King with TERRA.fluxus LLC, Elizabeth Hart with Tremco Inc., and SuSu Hunniecutt with Teufel Landscape.”
From Terrafluxus: "Jason King was the project manager and coordinator of this multidisciplinary effort while at GreenWorks, leading a team that included Teufel Landscape, Tremco Roofing, Anderson Roofing, Phillips Soil Products, Portland Nursery, Territorial Seed Co., HD Fowler, Oregon Wire Products, Parr Lumber, and many other volunteers and contributors to make this project a reality."
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