Last month, the Food Works Crew was introduced to some basic photography concepts during a workshop and got a chance to practice telling stories with pictures. They learned to experiment with framing and lighting and to be creative! Now, they bring you a series of pictures telling the story of their work on the farm and the social bonds it strengthens. Check out their amazing pictures.
Village Gardens is excited to be featured in theWillamette Week’s 2014 Give!Guide from November 5th to December 31st. TheGive!Guide offers you an opportunity to contribute to your favorite organization and win fun incentives!
Incentives include Chinook Books, tacos, concert and performance tickets, free ice cream, coffee, car wash, beer, wine and more! At Village Gardens, we will thank every donor personally and will add extra gift incentives! When you donate $25 or more, you will receive a $5 coupon to purchase produce at our Village Market,located 4632 N Trenton St, Portland, OR, 97203. When you donate $50 or more, you will also receive a $5 coupon to purchase produce at one of our Food Works Farm 2015 farmers market booths and one of our Soul Food Tote Bags.
Finally, Laughing Planet is also adding an extra gift for everyone who donates to Village Gardens through the Give!Guide this season. All donors will receive a coupon for a free burrito or bowl to use in any Laughing Planet restaurants. There are so many reasons to donate!
Are you under 35 years old? We need your support! The Give!Guide will add a bonus prize for the organization that gets the most donors under 35 years old!
During Give!Guide season, we plan to bring you the voices of our community through Social Media using photography, audio and video! A lot of fun awaits you on Facebook and Twitter! Look for #GardenPowerPDX
Join Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish, Multnomah County District 2 Commissioner Loretta Smith and Regence for the Village Gardens Fall Celebration on Friday afternoon, October 31. Hear updates on program growth, help us dedicate our new outdoor garden-based training space in memory of Trish Couture and participate in an apple cider pressing.
Date: Friday, October 31, 2014
Time: 1 – 3 pm
Location: Seeds of Harmony Garden, across from Regence Boys & Girls Club in New Columbia (4430 N Trenton St, Portland, Oregon 97203)
Cost: FREE
Village Gardens Farmers Market
Thursdays 3pm-7pm
July 10th-August 28th
Village Gardens’ Farmers Market is excited to be returning to New Columbia for our second season! Located outside of Village Market (4632 N. Trenton), the Farmers Market will provide local, seasonal and cultural vegetables grown by Village Gardens Market Gardener and certified organic produce from Food Works Farm representing the culturally diverse neighborhoods of New Columbia and Portsmouth. The Village Gardens Market Gardeners hail from the Congo, Burundi and Mexico. They will have a wide variety of unique and cultural vegetables, such as: Amaranth leaf, squash leaf, bean leaf, African eggplant, chili pepper, tomatillos and squash blossoms to name a few. Please join us Thursday evenings for a fun and festive event, shop for produce, enjoy some injera with lentils or tamales with aqua fresca! This is sure to be a great community event, and a great way to support the neighborhood growers and producers of these amazing products!
Join the Food Works 2014 CSA!
Our CSA is designed for folks who want to support the Food Works program as well as receive great farm fresh produce! For 21 weeks, from mid June through the end of October (Starting June 11), you’ll pick up your weekly share of beautiful, local, organic produce at one of three drop sites. You’ll also be supporting low income families in North Portland to receive the same beautiful, local, organic produce for free.
How much does it cost?
The 21 week CSA share is $600. We think that this is a great value for the amount of local organic produce you will receive.
How Do I Join the CSA?
Email us at foodworks@janusyouth.org for information regarding the CSA.
Where Are Our Drop Sites?
We offer 4 sites to pick up your weekly box at:
What’s In Our CSA Share?
Testimony from our 2012 CSA members:
“MUCH better than previous CSAs that I have participated in. Everything was *super* fresh.”
“Always fantastic: fresh, not even anything that was past its prime, and with just the right amount of dirt / imperfections to make it feel like you’re eating real food. Am going to miss it until next year.”
“Great variety of produce, seeing the students working at the market, great value.”
Below is sample CSA Boxes from the 2013 season:
Questions?
Please email us at foodworks@janusyouth.org with any questions that you have about the Food Works CSA. We would love to support you to become a member.
Join Village Gardens for our second annual spring fundraising event, an inspiring opportunity to celebrate and learn about Village Gardens work to create a more just and healthy food system in Portland. The evening will include food from James Beard Nominee Cathy Whims of Nostrana, community participant presentations highlighting program successes and a silent and live auction.
Thanks to all our Event Sponsors and Donors!
Event Details
Funds raised at this event will be used to strengthen programs like Food Works which support youth to grow as strong food system advocates, assistcommunityleaderstooperatetheVillage Market, Portland’s first non-profit healthy corner store, develop powerful community organizers addressing community health through the Community Health Worker program, and strengthen channels for food access andsocial capital through community gardens, theurbanlivestock project, market gardener and micro-enterprise projects.
Generously Sponsored By
Attend the Event
Sponsor a Table
A Table Sponsor helps to support a successful event and fills the room with individuals interested in learning more about how Village Gardens is building a healthy, community-based food system. Your $500 table sponsorship includes 8 tickets to the event, recognition on table place cards, event program and online materials.
Become an Event Sponsor
We are grateful for partner organizations, sponsors, funders, and volunteers who make our work possible each year. Contact Amber Baker at abaker@janusyouth.org with any questions or for more information. Thank you for your support!
Dear Village Gardens community,
As I think back on the 2013 season, I am touched by the deep dedication of our community leaders, staff, and each of you who have contributed to the success of Village Gardens this year.This season I stepped away from the program to welcome the birth of my first child, and our dedicated team continued to advance the good work of Village Gardens, while short-staffed for much of the growing season. This incredible team launched a new micro-enterprise project supporting families to begin growing produce to sell for the market, and others to begin prepared food businesses using the Village Market kitchen. Our team began a new community farmers market in New Columbia where these new enterprises showcased their products and sold healthy, culturally relevant foods back to their neighbors. Garden leaders partnered with the Portland Fruit Tree project to plant the first ever community orchard on a housing authority property. Our Community Health Worker team engaged in regional health care reform dialogues advocating for their communities and for peer health promotion. Gardens flourished, trees were planted, chickens foraged, youth grew into strong leaders.
2013 also marked the launch of our first annual fundraising dinner to support Village Gardens’ social justice work. With wonderful community support, we raised $33,000 for our programs. This winter we invite you to help us build on that momentum as we wrap up this incredible year. To continue to bring a spirit of hope to communities through food justice work, health promotion and positive neighborhood transformation, we need your help. Please consider a gift to Village Gardens this holiday season. At Village Gardens we absolutely know that “it takes a village.” Thank you for being a part of ours.
With deep gratitude,
Amber Baker
Village Gardens Program Director
2013 has been a great year at Village Gardens and there is a lot to celebrate! It was a successful growing season at the Seeds of Harmony & New Beginnings Gardens and the Food Works Farm. The Village Market continues to build on its success, offering more options for the community and expanding prepared food items from the deli. The Village Gardens Community Health Workers have also been busy promoting health in their communities. Launching new programming as well, the Village Gardens team laid the foundations for our neighborhood food hub by supporting micro-enterprise projects in food production and food preparation, and assisting these new ventures in accessing marketplaces. In 2013, four gardening families began growing produce for sale on a new plot of land on Sauvie Island through our market garden project, and Rosario, a Village Market employee, started her micro-enterprise tamale business, Playa Del Sur, using the certified kitchen in the market. We provided a outlet for their produce and Rosario’s tamales by creating the Village Gardens Farmers Market, located outside the Village Market in New Columbia. Overall it was a fun and exciting year full of growth at Village Gardens and we want to celebrate all the collective success…with you! So please join Village Gardens for an inspiring opportunity to celebrate and learn about our work to create a more just and healthy food system in Portland. The evening will include food and drink, community participant presentations and an opportunity to join our efforts.
All are welcome to this FREE EVENT
Friday, December 13th, 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Village Market, 4632 N Trenton Portland , OR 97203
6:30pm ~ Village Market Open House, Michoacán Dinner
8:00pm ~ Presentation @ New Columbia CEC
Purchase dinner prepared by Playa Del Sur
Updates on Village Gardens progress and vision for 2014.
Inspiring testimonials by Village Gardens participants.
If you would like to pre-order tamales from Playa Del Sur for Holiday Parties or stocking up the freezer, contact Jason Skipton at 971-998-4064
Chicken Tamales-$15/Dozen
Christmas Tamales-$18/Dozen
Sweet Tamales-$12/Dozen
Order by December 10th for pick up at the event December 13t
Information and Training Session, Thursday, November 7th, 2:00-4:00pm
Location: Fountain Room in New Columbia, Meet at the Village Market, 4632 N Trenton St
From the beginning, Village Gardens has been a strong community-led program, grown out of the vision and commitment of countless community leaders and champions. As we enter our second decade as a program, we are working to change the way we think about funding our work. We have seen time and again the power of community organizing and community-based solutions in addressing the most pressing issues facing the neighborhoods where we work, and we want to leverage that community power to build a broad grassroots philanthropic base for Village Gardens.
To do this we need your help! By becoming a Village Gardens Grassroots Donor Organizer you will help to shift the way that Village Gardens funds its work in the short and long term – growing strong community-based roots, not just in our programming but in our fundraising as well.
What does a donor organizer do?
Am I really qualified?
If you have questions or want more information please contact Amber Baker atabaker@janusyouth.org or 503-927-0820. If you are ready to sign-up for the Information Session, please RSVP to Amber as well.
We are hiring for a new and exciting position here at the Village Market!
Village Market is located in the vibrant neighborhood of New Columbia, and is committed to providing its community with quality, fresh, healthy, affordable groceries. Village Market is excited to begin the process of hiring for the Prepared Foods Manager Position. Please support Village Gardens to get the word out about this employment opportunity.
This is a dynamic environment for creativity, community building, developing affordable, healthy, and accessible foods in the New Columbia neighborhood. We really are looking for someone who has experience working in a fast paced kitchen that has the skills to take our prepared foods to the next level. If you are excited about Food Justice and want to make a huge impact in your community this is the position to apply for.
Position Description:
The Prepared Foods Manager is responsible for overall daily operations of the Village Market Deli/prepared foods department. This includes staff supervision and scheduling; merchandising, production, product and inventory management; assuring expenditures are within established budget limits; and monitoring sales and margin targets, making any resultant recommendations for change. This position is responsible for monitoring profit and loss for the deli/prepared foods department and promptly reporting when profit/loss is outside of expected limits. The position is also responsible for assuring the deli/prepared food department operates in compliance with all State and local safety and health regulations and assuring the kitchen is clean and orderly. This position works closely with other Village Gardens staff to support a thriving volunteer and community engagement process at the store and works in partnership with other Agency staff, including administrative staff, and to assure operations are in compliance with the Agency’s policies and procedures.
Application Guidelines/Contact: To be considered for this position, please submit a resume and cover letter that includes your minimum salary requirements to Melissa Allen, HR Assistant, c/o Janus Youth Programs, Inc., 707 NE Couch Street, Portland, Oregon 97232 or e-mail to her at mallen@janusyouth.org. Or they can be reached at 503.233.6090, This position is open until filled.Village Market is a part of our Village Gardens Program, a program operating under Janus Youth Programs, Inc. We value diversity and are an equal opportunity employer.
The eggs have been selling out quickly at the Village Gardens Farmers Market!! Get there early tomorrow to purchase the best eggs in Portland! All the proceeds from the sales of eggs go directly back into the program for chicken food, supplies and new items to make the happy chickens even happier. See you all tomorrow, Thursday, 3-7pm 4632 N. Trenton Portland, Oregon. Only 3 weeks left for the Village Gardens Farmers Market.
Thanks so much to everyone who came out and supported local farmers at the Village Gardens Farmers Market yesterday! If you weren’t able to make it please join us next Thursday August 8th from 3-7pm or if you can’t wait that long come into the Village Market at 4632 N. Trenton where we are selling Food Works produce and Market Gardener Vegetables! It’s a double positive, supporting the only nonprofit grocery store in the Pacific Northwest and at the same time supporting local farmers!
See you all soon!
Look who is going to be at the next Village Gardens Farmers Market this Thursday night from 3-7pm…. yep, that’s right, Food Works!!! Join us for an evening filled with tamales, greens, cucumbers, face painting and live music!
We’ll be there with Food Works, Market Gardeners, Shave Ice and much more. 4632 N. Trenton Ave, ride your bike, walk on over, take the #4, and don’t forget your shopping bags. See you Thursday!
Haji, Egbevado, Asha, Michelle and Rodolfo all say come on down and get some fresh Eggs at the Village Gardens Farmers Market! This is a volunteer-run chicken program where 8 families take care of the 15 hens. They have pasture to roam, organic feed to eat and lots of love from the community! See you all on Thursday from 3-7pm.
Here are some of the Market Gardeners preparing their plots for the season. Many of these farmers come from agrarian societies, Congo, Burundi, Angola, and Mexico. They all are selling their fresh produce at the Village Market and will be selling starting next week July 25th at the seasonal farmers market located at 4632 N. Trenton, right in front of the Village Market. The Village Gardens Farmers Market will run for 6 weeks, Thursdays from 3-7pm. Come out and support your neighborhood Farmer!
Starting next week, Thursday July 25th and running for 6 weeks, through August 29th Village Gardens will be holding a seasonal farmers market outside the Village Market Grocery Store. Located at 4632 N. Trenton. The hours are 3-7pm. We will be highlighting the amazing work of the Food Works youth, 3 Market Gardeners will be selling their new delights: squash leaves, squash blossom, beans leaves, green tomatoes and much, much more. you might be asking, what is a Market Gardener, well this is new this year to Village Gardens. We were fortunate enough to have a local land owner donate a 1/4 acre of space for 5 families to grow culturally appropriate vegetables to sell at the Village Gardens Farmers Market. So talk about local, this is local community members farming on Sauvie Island and then selling their products to their neighbors in New Columbia!
The Village Gardens Livestock project will also be selling their pasture-raised, organically feed eggs at the market.
Please come and join us on Thursday nights! There are also going to be craft tables and live music!
Thursdays July 25th – August 29th 3-7pm
Outside the Village Market, 4632 N. Trenton St
