Bend Giving Plate’s hydroponic farm to produce more lettuce, give out free salad kits

(Update: Adding video, comments from Giving Plate, Around the Bend Farms)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Inside The Giving Plate’s food donation facility is a hydroponic farm, ready to grow more fresh lettuce for Central Oregonians in need of fresh, healthy food. 

The farm is part of a partnership with Around the Bend Farms, which designed it and is growing lettuce inside, with water and artificial lights.

Russell Simpson is the lead designer with Around the Bend Farms. 

“And then after it’s grown into a seedling, we’re going to transfer it to the grow towers over here,” Simpson said Thursday, pointing out equipment in the growing room. 

Simpson believes that people eating healthy from an environmentally friendly source is important. 

“Because the main part of what we’re trying to do is help people eat healthy, and also provide a little bit of education about how they can do that.,” Simpson said. 

He said hydroponic farming uses less water than traditional planting, fewer pesticides, and grows faster.

"You’re getting food to people locally and quickly, without waste,” Simpson said. “Because of that, there's no shipping, there's no trucking time, we're not losing any produce due to rot.”

Ranae Staley, executive director of The Giving Plate, said the project initially was funded in late 2019.

“I had this idea that some day, it would be very fun to have a rooftop garden, where we could grow food and then put it into our guests' food box,” Staley said. “Because a lot of the produce that gets donated is at the end of its life.”

Construction began in 2020, but Staley said the farm had to take a pause in August of last year, due to staffing and maintenance issues.

“There's a steep learning curve, when it comes to growing produce and hydroponics,” Staley said. 

The farm is just starting back up, with plans to grow more lettuce and leafy greens, this time with an experienced farmer in charge of the process.

It will produce roughly 120 heads of lettuce each four-week growth cycle.

The Giving Plate plans to use that lettuce and other fresh veggies to make and give out fresh salad kits.

“Really, this whole idea is about giving our guests the best that we can -- because we believe they deserve it,” Staley said.