Three Year Milestones
Lettuce Grow Garden Foundation

updated 9/26/11

Research and contact with DOC began early in 2008. In 2009: Incorporation, 501.C.3, Board development, established first garden at Coffee Creek Correctional (CRCI.) Established donation of extra food to local Food Pantry from CRCI.

• 2010: invited into six more prisons, worked closely with three and peripherally with three others. Multiple visits and meetings took place with each facility with staff, superintendents, kitchen managers and some inmate gardeners. Maintained communication with all stakeholders.
  
• Recruited, trained and placed more volunteers with extensive farm and master gardening experience. Monitored to guide thru DOC volunteer credential process, manage scheduling, seek feedback from staff.
  
• In 2011, we were invited to bring education program into six more prison facilities for the 2012 season.

Practical Accomplishments.

• Board development and organizational plan developed
  
• OSU Master Gardener program class implemented as pilot project in two prisons, with 15 graduates in 2011. Weekly classes taught by our volunteers. Evaluations accomplished. All exams corrected by Gail Langelletto, OSU professor and director of statewide Master gardener program. This will be expanded into eight more facilities in 2012.
• We donated a copy of the OSU Master Gardening handbook/textbook to each facility.
• The Oregon Food Bank supplied a second curriculum, Seed to Supper, a class format designed for their low income consumers. This class was taught at one facility as pilot project, with 75 inmates completing six weeks in the class that our volunteers teach.
• Inmates surveyed for interest in garden classes, 60 responded with interest
• LGGF blog was expanded to a full website; it was maintained and updated frequently.
• Concentrates Organics offered advice on organics and advice and deep discounts on soil amendments.
• We have supplied (donated) seeds to seven facilities including four that are new contacts for us in 2012.
• Seed for autumn cover crops for all facilities in the fall was donated by local farmer
• OSU Master Gardener Program Extension Service certified our volunteers to use their time as prison volunteers for satisfaction of Master Gardener volunteer-hours requirement. (Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, and Marion/Polk counties.)
• PGE gave us our first grant of $2500
• Soil testing donated and accomplished for each facility
• Narrative budget developed showing all value of resources that have come into project.
• Databases developed for donor tracking, cash and material contributions, and set up mail merge letter for acknowledgement of each donation.
• Volunteer Policy manual written and signed off on by all volunteers.
  
• Volunteer waiver developed and signed.
  
• Board D+O insurance purchased.
  
• Site visits to nine facilities throughout took place, Relationships established.

In Process

• We are developing a book drive for garden books for prison libraries
• Developing detailed curriculum to intergrate our curriculums.
• We are developing a plant for prison greenhouse education, utilizing a board member who teaches this at Chemeketa Community college.
• Grant writer contracted, first grant produced.
• We were contacted by the Oregon Youth Authority to partner with them at their new garden project at MacLaren Youth Facility in Woodburn, OR. Ongoing collaboration is underway.
• Board Strategy session planned and implemented, operational plan developed.
• Connections fostered with community partners.
• Several requests have come in for consultation from other states.
• Marion Polk Food Share, Salem’s Food Bank, is collaborating with us on organizational development.

Results of partner collaborations:

• Fifteen inmates graduated as Master Gardeners in 2011
• 50,000 pounds of produce produced in four facilities for kitchen use in 2010, and
• 18,500 additional pounds were donated to Food Bank affiliates.
• Relationships fostered with policy planners and staff
• Established weekly gardening classes at Columbia River Correctional, we piloted digital OSU Master Gardening Class for selected inmates at CRCI and Santiam
• Six new master gardener volunteers recruited and trained Organic practices have been suggested and fostered as practical
• 60 inmates at CRCI completed horticulture class and were given certificates.
• Five inmates at CRCI and 15 at Santiam are ready to take the final exam in the Master Gardening course we provided.
• Gail Langelletto, Director of the OSU Master Gardening program, taught a well-received class at CRCI in late December 2010.
• Weston Miller, County Extension Agent for Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington Counties taught a class at Columbia River Correctional and is developing a protocol for generating volunteer hours that can be performed inside prison walls by Master Gardener graduates.
• Tom Liptan, City of Portland Eco-Roof program manager, will teach a class at Columbia River and consult with us to help develop a rooftop garden there in 2012.
• OSU’s Applied Ecology department is beginning a collaboration on
  sustainability project involving seed production to help with an endangered species.
• Our Founder received the “Citizen of the Year” award from the Department of Corrections in May 2011.

Milestones _9-27-11.pdf (70k)

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