Marion-Polk Food Share Youth Gardens

Marion-Polk Food Share is leading the fight to end hunger in Marion and Polk counties in Oregon. While we provide emergency food boxes, we recognize we have the responsibility to address root causes of hunger and "stop the line before it starts" by providing youth nutrition awareness and food systems education in our communities. 

Our after school garden programs focus on healthy eating, culinary arts and gardening skills and serve elementary and middle school-aged youth. We partner with the Salem-Keizer Education Foundation, the Boys & Girls Club of Salem and additional partners to provide after school garden programming at 6 sites. Working with youth plants the seeds for lifelong, healthy gardening and eating habits and teaches broader lessons about responsibility, cooperation, and respect for nature

Our vocational and summer programs focus on horticulture, job skills and work readiness for high school-aged youth, with our partnership with Chemeketa Community College, on our new 6-acre Youth Farm. Teens learn about nursery and greenhouse management, small business planning and customer service, civic engagement and good farming and gardening practices.