Open Grounds Community Garden is a project initiated by Gretchen Doering from St. Paul’s United Methodist Church and Stephanie Kilpatrick from Linwood Elementary School. Together, they wish to provide an opportunity for the Linwood Community to join together and benefit from a community garden. What might be the benefits?
- Provides a catalyst for neighborhood and community development
- Stimulates Social Interaction
- Encourages Self-Reliance
- Produces Nutritious Food
- Reduces Family Food Budgets
- Conserves Resources (less resources than everyone having their own garden at home)
- Creates opportunity for recreation, exercise, therapy, and education
- Preserves Green Space
- Reduces city heat from streets and parking lots
- Provides opportunities for intergenerational and cross-cultural connections
Linwood’s goals: Stephanie Kilpatrick hopes that students and their families from Linwood Elementary School may benefit from growing vegetables and ornamental plants on a larger scale as well as learn about where their food comes from and more about nutrition. Research shows that learning outdoors enhances lessons and engages students more. Students would be able to also learn about service and contributing to their community.
St. Paul’s mission: We believe that Christ calls us to live the Gospel by reaching out in community service, caring for our church family, praising God in our worship and sharing our gifts and blessings with the world.
We bring this proposal to the Trustees of St. Paul’s UMC to consider granting the use of land for the garden. The land will be divided into plots, similar to other community gardens in the Portland Metro area.
Who would have plots?:
Educational plot for Linwood Elementary School (managed by Kilpatrick)
Educational plot for St. Paul’s (used for JAM, gleaning, donations to Clackamas Service Center)
Individual plots for rent: St. Paul’s, community members, low-income
Offer occasional free gardening workshops.
The land would be divided into plots, with either ground plots or raised beds. Tools and supplies for members’ use could be obtained through donations and/or grants. Compost may be obtainable through donation.
Gardeners are typically recruited for community garden plot purchasing in March and officially registered for the May 1st planting deadline. Garden work parties are opportunities for all members to gather to work on the entire community garden, not just their own plots, to maintain the facilities and land. These are usually required for 6 hours per year for members, with several dates to ensure that each member attends at least one per year.
As far as legal terms are concerned, there will be liability waivers for each member to sign as well as a timeline, policies and plot assignment guide for each member to keep for their records and abide by at all times. Unattended plots or inappropriate use of plots will result in an assumed cancellation of plot assignment. All plot rentals would be renewed on an annual basis.
