Dustin Hill's vegetable garden is in his yard, a slice of country just
minutes from the city of Portland, Oregon, down a gravel road riddled with
potholes. The light-blue farmhouse sits back from the road, with rakes,
hoes, and a shovel hanging from pegs on the side of the garage. Dusty got the idea for his garden while dishing out food at a
soup
kitchen with his family at Christmastime. He'd noticed that the soup kitchen was stocked with lots of meat, bread, rice, and canned beans. "But they
don't really get fresh produce very often, and I like my greens," Dusty said.
He had decided to do something about that. In January, Dusty had
invited twelve friends from his neighborhood and his school to help him
grow vegetables for hungry people. "It's so much easier with a bunch of
kids than doing it alone," said Dusty. The group had dubbed themselves
Planet Kids. To get the garden off the ground, they'd gotten a $490 grant
from Take the Time, a local program that helps empower kids.
"None of us kids had ever gardened before," said Dusty. "We just kind
of went at it. We didn't know when to water or how to plant seeds, how far
to space them." So the kids read the backs of the seed packets, watched
gardening shows on TV, and asked their parents for tips.
Dusty and his friends wanted to provide the freshest, healthiest
vegetables possible. So instead of spraying weed-killers, the group had
decided to get rid of weeds the old-fashioned way—by pulling them.
Some vegetables were ready for picking in July. Planet Kids filled two
big baskets with dozens of cucumbers and zucchini—huge zucchini! In
August, Dusty celebrated with another harvest. "We filled two baskets and
more with tomatoes!" Dusty said.
Donations for Dignity
Once the garden had proved successful, Planet Kids had to decide
where to donate the veggies. Dusty's mom suggested giving them to
Sisters of the Road Café, and Dusty and his friends liked that idea.
Not your typical soup kitchen, Sisters of the Road looks like a coffee
shop. Diners choose from two main meals and some side dishes. After
ordering, they snag a stool at the counter or sit at one of the cozy tables.
While waiting, diners can watch food
preparations through the opening to
the kitchen. Lemonade, tea, and coffee flow freely. Meals at Sisters of the
Road cost $1.25 per person. But no one goes hungry. People who have no
money at all can pay for their meals by wiping down tables, sweeping the
floor, or slicing vegetables.
A Fruitful Experience
Dusty felt good about the garden, but something bothered him. The
garden produced vegetables only four or five times a year. "I didn't like that
we would bring food [to Sisters of the Road] one week, then not again for
another three
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