By David Nguyen

We're excited to share that the Friends of Portland Community Gardens non-profit has been chosen by the Whole Foods at 28th and Burnside as the recipient of its January 12, 2012 community giving “5% Day,” where one organization is selected to receive 5% of that day’s net sales. For 25 years, the Friends have provided support to the City's community garden program through fundraising and by recruiting and coordinating volunteers.

We're working to add 1,000 new community garden plots by the end of 2012 - these funds will help us move toward that goal. Some projects in the pipeline that might benefit from this fundraiser are Frazer Park in Rose City, Errol Heights in Brentwood-Darlington, Helensview in Sumner, and the Mt. Tabor garden in Mt. Tabor.

Parks' community garden program has provided gardening opportunities for the physical and social benefit of the people and neighborhoods of Portland since 1975. Our 39 gardens, located throughout the city, are operated by Parks staff and volunteers and offer a variety of activities.

As an added incentive, the Friends will be raffling off a $100 gift card for Bogs Footwear if you visit their table at Whole Foods on January 12.