Portland Magazine
Moreau Center
April 25, 2019
Lauren Urbina ’20 took part in an internship at Village Gardens in the New Columbia neighborhood of North Portland. Village Gardens is a nonprofit organization that aims to address poverty, isolation, and food insecurity through community support and engagement in their healthy corner store, community gardens, and through their youth development and leadership program. Today Village Gardens offers more than 80 garden plots to affordable housing communities in North Portland. We caught up with Lauren during her semester abroad in Ireland to ask her about her experiences with Village Gardens.
During the fall semester of my sophomore year I took a course titled, “The Science of Sustainable Gourmet Food.” We learned about the production of food, the environmental impact of agriculture, the techniques of harvest, and different food movements. The course ignited my passion for food justice.
Given this interest, I applied for the Interns for Justice program through the Moreau Center. After doing some research online about Village Gardens and their mission, I instantly felt a strong connection to their work. I really identified with their effort to build community through food.
My internship at Village Gardens consisted of three roles: grocery clerk in the Village Market; supervisor/program support in their youth program; and social media strategist/research intern.
As a grocery clerk I learned the inner workings of a nonprofit corner store. I helped to maintain the flow of the shop through tasks like stocking, being the cashier, and cooking support. Through my work in the store, I got to know the community members. When I was working the register, I also learned more about Village Gardens 'Good Food' card, which gives customers a 30% discount off of produce and $5 dollars free with the purchase of $20. This program aims to make healthy food access equitable.
As an adult support and supervisor of the Food Works program, I served as kitchen lead and cooked our weekly community meals with the youth. I also supported them in the planning and execution of the CSA pickup. The Community Supported Agriculture program brings fresh vegetables every Friday at a subsidized cost.
As a research assistant, I created a research portfolio for the organization to use when they write grants. I also developed some social media strategies to expands Village Garden's internet presence and exposure in the community.
The Community Coordinator, Eca-Etabo Wasongolo, is a thoughtful, spirited person who always has a smile on his face. One particular interaction we had sticks out to me most. We were driving to MudBone Grown farm to pick up the CSA vegetables, and we had a long conversation about his experience growing up and attending university in the Congo. After I shared that I was considering attending law school, we discussed in detail the differences between the American way of law and processes versus those in the Congo. He shared with me about the devastation and genocide that has occurred in the Congo. Despite my desire to stay as aware as I can of the human rights atrocities going on in the world, I didn't know much about the realities of the Congolese people. I appreciated that he shared his stories and perspectives, expanding for me what it means to fight for justice.
Doing a large research portfolio made me really grateful for the privilege of a college education. I know how to research, synthesize material, and communicate my findings. One of the Village Gardens team members expressed to me, “I wouldn’t be able to do any of this; I didn’t get a college education and this is all so foreign to me.” Research skills are not completely accessible to all, both in terms of means of access and language. My education prepared me for the internship, and my experience during my internship brought up many new feelings regarding my education.
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