SE Bend community garden receives grant

Common Ground Community Garden and Food Forest (located at Nativity Lutheran Church) has received funds from Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC) through a Meyer Memorial Trust grant to increase the capacity of existing community gardens throughout Central Oregon and to improve outreach to low-income residents.

The grant from COIC provides mini grants to existing community gardens with the expected outcomes to increase produced the amount of food delivered to food pantries/ banks, expand community garden activities, provide nutrition education and to increase the ability of people to be able to grow their own produce.

Last year, the Common Ground garden donated well over 100 pounds of food to the food pantry run out of Nativity Lutheran Church.

The pantry operates year-round on Tuesdays from 1-3 pm. The garden received $2,000 to build a greenhouse and buy supplies, such as tools, seeds, and plants. These funds will enable them to dramatically increase their production and help provide more fresh, organic, highly nutritious food to low-income families in Deschutes County. Volunteer opportunities are available.

For more information about the garden or grant please contact Hailee Newman or Seth Meeves at 541.619.9388 or 541.480.2415.