Oregon Food Bank’s Learning Garden seeks volunteers for new program

PORTLAND, Ore. (March 5, 2007) — Oregon Food Bank’s Learning Garden seeks volunteers to garden with youth through its new Cultivating Community program.

The Learning Garden’s Cultivating Community program pairs at-risk youth ages 12 to 19, with trained, adult mentors. By working with mentors in the garden, the youth learn to grow food from seed.

To become an adult mentor for the Cultivating Community program, volunteers must fill out an application, pass a background check and complete an interview with OFB’s Learning Garden Coordinator. Volunteers who are selected for the program must attend two training sessions, one on Thursday, March 22, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., and one on Saturday, March 24, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Volunteers must also commit to volunteering three hours per week from April to October.

For more information or an application, contact 503-282-0555, Ext. 268, or sfarris@oregonfoodbank.org.

Learning Garden programs
Oregon Food Bank’s Learning Gardens offer three programs to address the root causes of hunger through increased nutrition, food security and self-reliance within the community.
• The Cultivating Community program pairs at-risk youth with trained adult volunteers. Adult volunteers work with the youth to teach them to grow food from seed.
• The Seed to Supper program offers free gardening workshops and cooking classes to individuals and low-income groups.
• The Dig In! program allows community members to help fight hunger by growing nutritious, organic produce to be distributed at hunger-relief agencies in the Portland area.

For more information contact 503-282-0555, Ext. 268, sfarris@oregonfood bank.org or visit www.oregonfoodbank.org.

What is Oregon Food Bank?
Oregon Food Bank is a nonprofit, charitable organization. It is the hub of the Oregon Food Bank Network, a statewide network of 20 regional food banks and 884 agencies and programs serving Oregon and Clark County, Wash. Oregon Food Bank recovers food from farmers, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, individuals and government sources. It then delivers that food to 20 regional food banks covering OFB’s service area. Regional food banks distribute this food and additional resources from local donations to nonprofit programs serving low-income people in their communities. Sixteen of the 20 regional food banks are independent charitable organizations. OFB directly operates the four regional food banks serving the Portland metro area, southeast Oregon and Tillamook County. Those four centers distribute food to 340 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other programs helping low-income individuals in Clackamas, Clark, Multnomah, Washington, Harney, Malheur and Tillamook counties.

OFB also works to eliminate the root causes of hunger through advocacy, nutrition education, learning gardens and public education.

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Contacts

Oregon Food Bank
Jean Kempe-Ware, public relations manager
503-419-4170
jkempe-ware@oregonfoodbank.org