Over the past year we have been happily working on the 1,000 Gardens blog in hopes of connecting gardening enthusiasts with community gardens events, news, partnerships, and resources.

We'd like to introduce ourselves and share a bit about how we got here, what we do, and invite you to join us at upcoming events.

Abby (left) is the Community Gardens Intern here at Commissioner Fish's office and has been the main force behind the 1,000 Gardens blog. In addition to working behind the scenes, she spends one day a week out in the field with our Community Gardens staff. Abby grew up in Portland and is currently a student at Portland State University in the School of Urban Studies and Planning, pursuing a degree in Community Development. She is committed to environmental stewardship and justice, and sees community gardens being at the intersection of both of these complex issues. Outside of working on the initiative, Abby spends her time cooking, gardening, exploring Portland's many farmers markets, and spending time with family.

Emily (right) is a Policy Coordinator in Nick's office and leads the Community Gardens Initiative.  She's passionate about creating more sustainable food systems and enjoys the opportunity to meet with Portlanders to advance this goal.  Like Abby, she also attended PSU and received a Masters in Public Health with an emphasis on sustainable planning.  She knew she wanted to work in this field after serving as the Kitchen Garden Project Coordinator for a non-profit called Garden-Raised Bounty in her hometown of Olympia, WA. 

We're both looking forward to attending garden openings this Saturday and the following Saturday. We hope to see you there!

Saturday, May 7 - Vermont Hills Garden Opening

SW Iowa St & SW 55th Dr

Work Party

10:00-11:00am

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony 11:00am-12:00pm

Saturday, May 14 - Furey Garden Opening

Zenger Farm | SE Reedway between SE 117th and SE 119th

Work Party 11:00am-1:00pm

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony 1:00-1:30pm

We'll continue to keep you updated with events we'll be attending in hopes of getting to meet you!

Abby Warren and Emily Hicks