{"id":2167,"date":"2017-06-28T09:47:05","date_gmt":"2017-06-28T16:47:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pdxpeople.com\/?p=2167"},"modified":"2017-07-03T12:54:58","modified_gmt":"2017-07-03T19:54:58","slug":"growing-gardens-with-jason-skipton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pdxpeople.com\/?p=2167","title":{"rendered":"Growing Gardens With Jason Skipton"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Jason — Jason Skipton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
If there was ever a place for the mission Jason Skipton is on, that place is Portland. It\u2019s a mission that\u2019s taken Jason all over the world, from Central America to North Portland, to create or assist in community gardening programs within his chosen community.<\/p>\n
The organization he serves as the Executive Director for, Growing Gardens, describes itself as a 501c non-profit organization that \u201cpromotes home-scale organic food gardening to improve nutrition, health and self-reliance while enhancing the quality of life and the environment for individuals and communities in Portland, Oregon<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n
Put simply, Growing Gardens does exactly what its name implies: It helps people grow their own food and build gardens, even if that garden happens to be in a balcony or small raised box in a tiny back yard.<\/p>\n
With several programs aimed at community youth, Growing Gardens trains Portland kids how to be growers and what it means to respect their health and the environment \u2013 and Jason Skipton couldn\u2019t be prouder to be a part of it.<\/p>\n
After traveling through Central America as a Peace Corps volunteer, Jason returned to Portland where he would eventually get his Master\u2019s Degree in Public Health from Oregon State University. Upon graduation, he wasted no time getting to work and pursuing his passion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI immediately focused on agriculture and food production,\u201d he says. \u201cI did my research in La Paz, Bolivia, looking at the first urban community garden and its positive impacts on food production but also food security and community participation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once he returned from South America, Jason immediately began working with Growing Gardens. He\u2019s particularly proud of how well Growing Gardens operates amidst the negative light shining on larger non-profits with bloated administrative budgets and \u201cmissing money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a very lean non-profit,\u201d he asserts, with an emphasis on the very<\/em>.<\/p>\n
\u201cNinety-nine percent of the money that comes in goes to our programs and benefits our communities,\u201d he says, quite proudly \u2013 and rightly so.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are working with a small staff, but we also work with thousands of volunteers, as we offer volunteer opportunities throughout the year in all our programs,\u201d he says,<\/p>\n
For any of you out there looking for summer volunteering opportunities, here you go.<\/p>\n
Indeed, with a full-time staff of only five people and a small board, it would seem as though Growing Gardens can\u2019t make much of an difference. Yet, they know how to make a big impact in small ways.<\/p>\n
Take their \u201cChef in my Garden\u201d series. They do six per year, with the first on July 9. These dinners, held in gorgeous private gardens around the city, feature top Portland chefs preparing delicious full-course meals, with all proceeds going to benefit programs within the organization.<\/p>\n
Tickets are $175 and open to anyone. This year, some pretty big names grace the gardens, from Maya Lovelace of Mae to Jason French of Ned Ludd<\/a>.<\/p>\n
William Bessette<\/strong> \u2013 PDX People Contributor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
$\"William$ William Bessette is a journalist and freelance writer who has been covering politics, entertainment, culture and travel for over thirteen years. When he\u2019s not profiling Portland-area restaurants and residents, you can find him reporting on national and international travel and eco-tourism through his travel brand, <\/em><\/strong>Floppy Hat Adventures<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
Follow William on: <\/strong> Facebook<\/a>\u00a0, Twitter<\/a>\u00a0 Connect with William on:<\/strong> LinkedIn<\/a>
\n

\"William — Jason Skipton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
If there was ever a place for the mission Jason Skipton is on, that place is Portland. It\u2019s a mission that\u2019s taken Jason all over the world, from Central America to North Portland, to create or assist in community gardening programs within his chosen community.<\/p>\n
The organization he serves as the Executive Director for, Growing Gardens, describes itself as a 501c non-profit organization that \u201cpromotes home-scale organic food gardening to improve nutrition, health and self-reliance while enhancing the quality of life and the environment for individuals and communities in Portland, Oregon<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n
Put simply, Growing Gardens does exactly what its name implies: It helps people grow their own food and build gardens, even if that garden happens to be in a balcony or small raised box in a tiny back yard.<\/p>\n
With several programs aimed at community youth, Growing Gardens trains Portland kids how to be growers and what it means to respect their health and the environment \u2013 and Jason Skipton couldn\u2019t be prouder to be a part of it.<\/p>\n
After traveling through Central America as a Peace Corps volunteer, Jason returned to Portland where he would eventually get his Master\u2019s Degree in Public Health from Oregon State University. Upon graduation, he wasted no time getting to work and pursuing his passion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI immediately focused on agriculture and food production,\u201d he says. \u201cI did my research in La Paz, Bolivia, looking at the first urban community garden and its positive impacts on food production but also food security and community participation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once he returned from South America, Jason immediately began working with Growing Gardens. He\u2019s particularly proud of how well Growing Gardens operates amidst the negative light shining on larger non-profits with bloated administrative budgets and \u201cmissing money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a very lean non-profit,\u201d he asserts, with an emphasis on the very<\/em>.<\/p>\n
\u201cNinety-nine percent of the money that comes in goes to our programs and benefits our communities,\u201d he says, quite proudly \u2013 and rightly so.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are working with a small staff, but we also work with thousands of volunteers, as we offer volunteer opportunities throughout the year in all our programs,\u201d he says,<\/p>\n
For any of you out there looking for summer volunteering opportunities, here you go.<\/p>\n
Indeed, with a full-time staff of only five people and a small board, it would seem as though Growing Gardens can\u2019t make much of an difference. Yet, they know how to make a big impact in small ways.<\/p>\n
Take their \u201cChef in my Garden\u201d series. They do six per year, with the first on July 9. These dinners, held in gorgeous private gardens around the city, feature top Portland chefs preparing delicious full-course meals, with all proceeds going to benefit programs within the organization.<\/p>\n
Tickets are $175 and open to anyone. This year, some pretty big names grace the gardens, from Maya Lovelace of Mae to Jason French of Ned Ludd<\/a>.<\/p>\n
William Bessette<\/strong> \u2013 PDX People Contributor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
$\"William$ William Bessette is a journalist and freelance writer who has been covering politics, entertainment, culture and travel for over thirteen years. When he\u2019s not profiling Portland-area restaurants and residents, you can find him reporting on national and international travel and eco-tourism through his travel brand, <\/em><\/strong>Floppy Hat Adventures<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
Follow William on: <\/strong> Facebook<\/a>\u00a0, Twitter<\/a>\u00a0 Connect with William on:<\/strong> LinkedIn<\/a>
\n