VetRest

06/01/2026

"When I was a little kid growing up in a small town, everyone I knew had a garden. Growing your own fruits and vegetables was just a part of everyday life. I remember helping my dad till the land every year, and it taught me the value of hard work.

My favorite part was always planting the seeds and watching the ones I planted slowly grow. We grew all kinds of plants, but corn was always my favorite. I loved watching those tall green stalks stretch higher than everything else in the garden, and I used to wonder: if you let them grow long enough, could they someday touch the sky?

I guess I’ll never know, because every year we harvested the corn, and the stalks would wither away until the next season came around. I guess corn is too delicious for us to ever let it reach the sky."

05/30/2026

"I have been at bybee hope center for almost two months now. First time in my 55 years that I've experienced homelessness. It has been overwhelming to say the least. This garden is my oasis in my time of uncertainty. Things are starting to bloom and it's just beautiful, calm, and quiet. This is where I spend a lot of my time. Recently I was given a piece of land to use for pretty much anything that could benefit the garden. I have decided on building a water feature. In the weeks to come I plan on giving updates on my project and also tips and advice for others. I have several diy projects for beginners big and small. I look forward to sharing the garden with all.
Thanks for opportunity.

05/25/2026

On this Memorial Day, we at VetREST reflect and offer gratitude for the service of brave men and women. We honor your sacrifice with appreciation and remembrance.

05/16/2026

It's mid-May which means it's carrot thinning season! Participants at Bybee have learned this week that even toothpick-sized carrots freshly picked are some of the best tasting ones out there!

We have an open garden event coming up this Sunday from 9-12 if you would like to check out the garden and learn about opportunities to support/get involved. Check out our website for more info.

05/12/2026

𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤. 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐲.⁣
𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵’𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘺𝘣𝘦𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯⁣
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“I have been at Bybee Hope Center for almost two months now. First time in 55 years that I've experienced homelessness. It has been overwhelming to say the least. This garden is my oasis in my time of uncertainty. Things are starting to bloom and it's just beautiful, calm, and quiet.”⁣
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Please help us continue to bring support, healing and refuge to those struggling to find peace from their hidden battle.⁣
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Join us as a subscriber to “Flowers for Peace” our cut-flower CSA: https://vetrest.org/csa/⁣

Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers Bybee Lakes Hope Center

05/12/2026

Every garden needs a Monster Pond!

Last fall, a mother (Sarah) and her son (Robin) living at the Bybee Lakes Hope Center became frequent visitors of the victory garden. Sarah frequently worked with our garden manager, Jacob, on weekly garden tasks - weeding, planting, harvesting, etc while middle schooler Robin played on his tablet or painted. One day, he began digging a large hole in one of the beds that would be planted in a couple of weeks and Jacob soon found out that he was trying to build a pond for his ocean animal figurines. After talking with Sarah about needing that space soon for plants, Jacob and Sarah found a space in another part of the garden where a pond could live forever. While Robin was in school, Jacob and Sarah dug out the pond together, added a tarp, and filled it with water for Robin.

Jacob asked if making a sign that said "Robin's Pond" would be good. Sarah responded that calling it "Monster Pond" would probably be more appropriate - thus the Monster Pond was born!

Since its creation (Robin loved it), that space became his happy place where he spent most of his time while Sarah and Jacob worked together in other spaces in the garden.

The Monster Pond became not only a place where the COOLEST battery-powered shark and octopus could swim together freely, but became an example of how there is always space for imagination and creativity in the garden.

*Names changed to maintain privacy of the Bybee Lakes residents

05/10/2026

Consider the gift of locally-grown flowers to share on this Mothers' Day. Our summer bouquet subscription program includes monthly or bi-monthly bouquets for pick up at 4 different locations around Portland -
Beaverton/Cedar Hills - THPRD Cedar Hills Recreation Center
SE Portland - Sellwood Community House
Vancouver - Waterfront Taphouse
N Portland - St. Johns Farmers Market

Subscribe today for yourself, your family, or for that special person in your life.
https://givebutter.com/vr-csa

Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers
Bybee Lakes Hope Center

We are excited to announce our Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA) cut flower program based at the Bybee Lakes Hope Center Victory Garden.

05/10/2026

Thank you to Multnomah County Master Gardener Association as we had a blast tabling today the Incredible Edibles Plant Sale! Learn more and become a Master Gardener here: https://www.multnomahmastergardeners.org/

Metro Master Gardeners, Bybee Lakes Hope Center, Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers, Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs

05/09/2026

Come see us at the Incredible Edibles Plant Sale today! We are here until 2.

https://www.multnomahmastergardeners.org/events/incredible-edibles

05/04/2026

We enjoyed a beautiful, sunny May Day at the Bybee Lakes Hope Center Victory Garden where we welcomed volunteers, supporters, and partners to tour the garden and learn about our new Flowers for Peace Cut Flower CSA. This new CSA is pivotal in helping us continue our important work on behalf of our Veterans and community. Won't you join us on the journey?

Learn more about the CSA: https://vetrest.org/csa/

Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers