PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — A gardening class at Harrison Park Middle School has taken proactive steps to address potential budget cuts in Portland Public Schools by organizing a plant sale fundraiser.
Since late Feb., students have been diligently planting seeds, which have now grown into over 4,000 seedlings, including tomatoes, peppers, basil, and flowers, ready for sale.
Mike Benson, a gardening teacher at Harrison Park, emphasized the importance of the initiative. “Budget cuts are all the buzz right now as far as PPS and the state, and we don’t know how that’s going to impact programs at the individual schools,” Benson said.
“Because we are in this world of unknowns, why not hedge our bet by drumming up community support and having the students learn something while doing something proactive about hedging those bets?”
In addition to preparing for the sale, the students have been cultivating food in the garden to donate to the on-site community food bank.
READ ALSO: Portland mom and business owner thrives with garage-based gift shop
The event, themed around Mother’s Day, featured free activities for families, including interactions with goats and chicks for children and opportunities to plant pumpkins or flowers.
Another sale is scheduled for Monday from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Harrison Park Middle School.