Hoyt., Whole Foods Market Pearl and Zimmerman Community Center came together to create an important community resource that does not exist in central Portland; a vegetable garden for children. 

Does your family want to join Isobel's Garden? Become a member and provide a great learning laboratory for your kids. And besides, there a worms to play with. Read below to see what your membership gives you. Garden rules and waiver, and membership application appear below. Mail both, together with a check in the amount of $25 made out to Zimmerman Community Center, to 1542 NW 14th Avenue, Portland, OR 97209.

Membership in Isobel's Garden includes: 

Outcomes

Children learn to plant a garden, grow vegetables and compost using organic methods through experiential learning.

Children learn about healthy eating and cooking through classes with caring adults in their community, using produce that they have grown themselves.

Children learn responsibility through watering and weeding, maintaining a schedule, and volunteering to be part of community gardening days.

Children’s natural generosity is encouraged through donating produce to neighborhood social service organizations that serve meals, and visiting those organizations to learn more about their service.

The neighborhood is engaged with children, their needs, and their education through community garden days, volunteer ‘Master Gardeners’ and accessing the knowledge and wisdom of our intergenerational community.

Beliefs:

Using the garden space as much as possible, for classes, socializing, picnics, community days etc, is a great way to connect children to the natural world and increase the value of the garden.

Our larger neighborhood has tremendous resources, and also has tremendous needs. Bringing the volunteer activities of children together with the needs of our neighbors in Old Town Chinatown strengthens our entire community.

Children learn best when they are learning with their hands, bodies and minds. Whenever possible we’ll learn in the garden, in the dirt, amongst the plants.

Engaging volunteers to lead the garden helps to develop neighborhood leaders who make our city a better place. Parents, elders, and school-aged children can all take on volunteer leadership roles in the garden.

Our larger community will benefit from having a clear idea of what is happening in the garden, and to that end we’ll use signage that tells a story, press releases and social media to keep people informed and aware of this great project.