FOOD for Lane County’s three gardens — the GrassRoots Garden, the Youth Farm and Churchill Community Garden — provide on-site gardening opportunities and workshops, while growing fresh, organic produce for distribution through the FOOD for Lane County Network. Annually, garden staff and volunteers harvest over 140,000 pounds of fresh, organic produce from all three gardens. Of that, nearly 90,000
pounds are distributed to low-income households through the FOOD for Lane County Network. The remaining 50,000 pounds are sold through a youth-run farm stand and a community-supported agriculture program. The Gardens also provide opportunities for kindergarteners through adults to learn about food systems, hunger issues and gardening. For more information, call (541) 343-2822 or email [email protected]. GrassRoots Garden
1465 Coburg Road
Eugene, Oregon (behind St. Thomas Episcopal Church)
Volunteer Hours: May through October, regular volunteer hours are Tuesday through Saturday 9 am - 2 pm. November through April, regular volunteer hours are Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday 9am - 2pm. GrassRoots began in 1991 as a partnership between Lane County Master Gardeners, FOOD for Lane County and St. Master Gardeners wanted a training location that allowed them to be of service to the community, FFLC wanted a source of fresh produce for its food distribution program and St. Thomas had available vacant land. The two and a half-acre GrassRoots Garden is developed and maintained by FOOD for Lane County staff, Master Gardeners, school groups, youth from diverse backgrounds and community members all working to make a difference. Churchill Community Garden
2200 Bailey Hill Road
Eugene, Oregon (between Churchill High School and Kennedy Middle School)
Volunteer Hours: February through November, regular volunteer hours are Tuesday and Thursday 9 am - 4 pm and Saturday 10 am - 2 pm. There are no regular open volunteer hours at Churchill Community Garden in December and January. Surrounded by several schools, Churchill Community Garden is teeming with students, particularly during the spring and fall. Teachers from Churchill High School, Kennedy Middle School and the Lane School use the garden as an outdoor classroom, and students have the opportunity to work with FOOD for Lane County’s Garden Coordinator to plan, design and implement school demonstration beds. Produce grown in the school beds is donated to FOOD for Lane County for distribution to families and individuals in need. Students learn the value of eating a nutritious diet, gain an understanding of how food is grown and distributed and value the ability to serve their community and make a difference. Source: http://foodforlanecounty.org/
