Village Gardens

Phone: (503) 943-5633
Website: villagegardens.org

Community Programs

The Community Programs include 52,000 square feet of community-run organic gardens, a 10,000 square foot orchard, an organic egg project, community kitchens and a market gardeners initiative. These myriad programs are an ongoing avenue for community engagement and leadership in the New Columbia and Tamarack neighborhoods.

Food Works

A dynamic youth development and employment program engaging youth ages 14 to 18 living in North Portland low-income neighborhoods in all aspects of planning, growing, selling and donating certified organic produce in North Portland. Food Works empowers youth to be leaders in their community, in their schools and in their homes.

Key goals guide Food Works: 

• Grow the Garden: youth develop skills in sustainable agriculture by being engaged in all aspects of planning, planting and harvesting organic vegetables in our community gardens. 
• Grow the Business: youth build a variety of skills including marketing and teamwork, retail display, planning, cashiering, and customer service by selling their produce at Village Market in the New Columbia neighborhood.
• Grow the Community: youth impact their community by being positive role models, assisting community gardeners and becoming the "ambassadors of health" in their  neighborhoods.
• Grow the Self: youth learn key job skills such as respectful direct communication, time management, accountability and conflict resolution. Each youth sets personal goals for school and work and identifies their steps to success. Leadership development and enrichment opportunities are also an important part of the Food Works experience. In addition to participating actively in all aspects of program decision making, youth regularly present at professional conferences both locally and nationally.

Two Food Works’ youth have been awarded Gates Millennium Scholarships and several Food Works’ youth have received scholarships through the Janus Scholarship Fund.

Food Works Video

Village Market

Located in the heart of the New Columbia neighborhood, the Village Market is more than a healthy corner grocery store that is community run. It is the central meeting point that brings together a diverse neighborhood where 17 different languages are spoken and 22 countries are represented. As the only retail grocery store in a 15-block radius, the Village Market addresses the issue of "food deserts" in low-income neighborhoods. It is a store selling organic produce and culturally relevant food but not alcohol, tobacco products or lottery tickets.The Village Market is a hub for community activities and health promotion, where children stop on their way to and from school for a healthy snack. It is the only grocery store open every day, with its lights on in the evening, providing employment and job skills training for neighborhood residents.

Street Address: 4632 N Trenton St, Portland, Oregon, 97203 
Phone: (503) 548-0374 Website: villagegardens.org/village-market