By Lauren Zielinski | Corporate + Community Relations Officer
Gardening prorams help vulnerable populations connect
This past spring, Oregon Food Bank launched a new project specifically tailored to immigrant and refugee populations in the Portland Metro Area. "Gardening connects me to my community," says Matthieu Kambumb, a Seed to Supper Ambassador. Participants repeatedly tell their community ambassadors that their stress falls away when they work the soil. "There is loneliness, stress, frustration so this is, for them, social therapy," says Yonas Kassie, another ambassador. "Especially elderly women, single moms."
Many participants already possess the farming and gardening knowledge from their home country. For them, this program introduces the nuances of Northwest growing conditions and different produce for this climate - all in their own language.
Thanks to you, three additional ambassadors will be trained to teach gardening classes and recruit participants. Watch the stories from this year's program at youtube.com/oregonfoodbank.
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