City gives back with gardening

Community plots will help feed Beaverton's hungry

By Stover E Harger III

The Beaverton Valley Times, Jun 11, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

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In just over two weeks, an untended portion of the Kennedy Gardens was transformed into a lush garden – the beginnings of a soon-to-be thriving field of vegetables that will help feed the hungry in the community.

On Monday, Mayor Denny Doyle, city council members, local volunteers and others gathered to ceremonially complete the Giving Gardens near 103rd and Kennedy Street, tucked between Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway and Canyon Road. Once the tomato, squash, potato, jalapeño and the other organic vegetables begin to flourish, the produce will be donated to the Oregon Food Bank, St. Matthew’s Food Pantry, Sunshine Pantry and Tualatin Valley Gleaners.

As Doyle bent down to place a tomato plant – slightly dirtying his white suit pants in the process – he gave a wish of encouragement for the garden.

“No insects allowed, no birds, and I hope it does better than my garden,” he said.

Doyle planted the first seeds of the garden in the form of an idea last month. He was able to resecure the Kennedy Gardens location for at least another year after it was closed on Dec. 31 for redevelopment by the land’s owner, St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church. When the church’s plans were put on hold, the city was allowed to continue using the space.

He envisioned a single plot that would be maintained by a few volunteers and the city, but the idea soon took off as more and more people became involved. At the same time Rhonda Coakley, the Sexton Mountain Neighborhood Association Committee chair, was looking to create a community garden for her neighborhood.

She and her husband decided to bring all the planning work they had done and the volunteers they had corralled and put their efforts into the Giving Garden.

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