Giving Back To Our Community

It is important to us at Sauvie Island Organics that we are fully involved in the community in which we live. Here are a few of the ways.

Sauvie Island Center

In 2005, Shari Raider helped to found the Sauvie Island Center. The Sauvie Island Center is a nonprofit that teaches children about farms, the food they grow, and the landscape in which they exist. The Center uses Sauvie Island Organics’ farm fields as part of their field trip programs. Engaging all their senses, students journey into the fields to learn about how food is grown.

Food Works Farm

Food Works is a youth employment and empowerment program that engages 14-21 year old young people in all aspects of planning, growing, selling and donating over 4,000 pounds of organic produce each year. Their 1-acre organic farm is adjacent to our farm fields. For the past three years Sauvie Island Organics has been a farm mentor and has donated facility space so that the youth at Food Works can process and store their vegetables before they go to market.

CSA Scholarship Fund

We understand that for some people putting organic foods on their table can be a stretch economically. In 2004 we established our CSA Scholarship Program. As funds are available families who qualify can apply to have 50% of their share cost covered by scholarship dollars. The Scholarship Fund is supported by community donations and special events in which Sauvie Island Organics participates.

SIO Gleaning Program

In 2009, Sauvie Island Organics will organize our first gleaning program. This will be spearheaded by the Portland Chapter of Tuv H'Aretz. We will coordinate with them about what is ready and they will harvest the produce and donate the food to local hunger organizations.

Vegetable Donations

At this time we donate all our harvested seconds and any leftover CSA produce to Urban Gleaners. Urban Gleaners is a small, volunteer organization that picks up edible, surplus food from farms, farmers markets, restaurants, grocery stores and event sites and delivers it to local agencies that feed the hungry.