PD(x) Lab has generously donated time and expertise to help us design the garden. Long term sustainability and community involvement are two integral features of the PD(x) Lab plan.
The garden at EPCC will also be a community effort.
The Intergenerational Community Garden, located at the East Portland Community Center, seeks to provide locally grown food to the Cherry Blossom Loaves and Fishes senior meal site. Cherry Blossom Loaves and Fishes is a part of the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) Senior Services. The Intergenerational Garden will consist of seventeen elder-friendly beds. Both edible and non-edible plants, native and culturally appropriate varieties, will be cultivated to express and connect the diverse backgrounds and experiences of IRCO's clients. Pesticides will not be used and the garden will replace a lawn that is currently treated with chemicals and fertilizer, thereby improving the health of the Willamette River Watershed. As a community garden, seniors will be encouraged to participate in seeding and harvesting, and innovative garden-bed design will enable access for participants who have limited flexibility and/or are wheelchair bound. In addition to feeding seniors at EPCC, food from the garden will be distributed through the Oregon Food Bank Harvest Share program. Education and community involvement is a core component of the garden, therefore classes ranging from gardening to watershed and riparian health, will be taught at the garden site by the Garden Coordinator, Robert Bradley, and the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) educator, Lynne Vanderkamp. Why East Portland? East Portland is an under-served part of the city. The garden hopes to meet the needs of foreign-born, elderly, and/or disabled residents of East Portland. According to ADSD data, low-income and immigrant communities are increasing faster in East Portland than anywhere else in the city.
Contact
Nicole Baker-Wagner, IRCO's Senior Services Unit Manager, nicolb@mail.irco.org
Robert Bradley, Cherry Blossom Loaves and Fishes Program Manager, rbradley@lfcpdx.org
Jessie Mandle, Aging and Disability Services jessie.mandle@multco.us
Karen Wolfgang
independencegardenspdx@gmail.com
Community Partnerships Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) www.irco.org/