Our Village Gardens

Mission

Our Village Gardens exists to serve local communities with affordable, healthy food options that allow everyone to thrive. OVG operates Village Market, Seeds of Harmony community garden and Fruits of Diversity orchard. We believe that healthy food is a human right and that by organizing side-by-side with community members we can all flourish.

Bottom Line for Portland

Supporting Our Village Gardens ensures that people across our neighborhoods are benefitting from community-led solutions that equitably address the health and wellness of our neighbors. Donations support the work we do at Village Market to provide affordable groceries and culturally relevant pantry items, our work at our gardens and orchard to create access to local fresh produce, and provides job and leadership opportunities for our neighbors. We center community defined solutions for food equity and neighborhood resilience. 

Quote

“In working against food apartheid, Our Village Gardens centers food as a point of connection between community members and a source of joy; the Village Market slings a variety of hot foods to our neighbors daily while the garden, just down the street, hosts potlucks where gardeners share their cultural produce and cherished dishes with one another. The longevity of our program's success is encouraged through the ethic of: responding to the changing needs of our community, encouraging mutual learning, making time to enjoy food together, and employing community members or giving them opportunities to make money.” Isa Downes-LeGuin, Production and Distribution Manager, Our Village Gardens

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Our commitment to providing free access to garden space and fresh produce is in response to systemic barriers that prevent BIPOC communities and low-income households from accessing land and growing food. Our transition to an independent organization in 2021 moved our organization from community-informed to being authentically and equitably community-led. Our internal restructuring is rooted in building an organizational structure where power, resource distribution, and oversight are in the hands of people impacted directly by racism, hunger, and poverty. 

Incentives

The first three local donors to give $500 will receive a hand-crafted dried flower wreath from Solstice Flower Works. 

Our Village Gardens is raffling three baskets of locally-grown winter veggies, valued at $50 each, throughout the campaign.

Partner(s)

Solstice Flower Works is a no-till flower farm and design studio in Corbett, OR, run by the brilliant Alex Hale.