Backyard Garden Project

Hello! I’m Isabella. I started conceptualizing this project in the summer of 2023. My family was volunteering at the Asian Food Pantry of the Community of Positive Aging. At the same time, I was thinking about how our own backyard garden was producing excess harvest throughout the summer. My extended family and friends also had excess fresh fruits and vegetables produced by their backyard gardens. I wanted to find a way to share this excess produce with the households serviced by the Asian Food Pantry.

你好！我叫 Isabella。二零二三年夏天，我开始有做这个专案的想法。 那个时候，我的家人在波特兰大的 Asian Food Pantry 当志工。 夏天的时候，我家后院花园的蔬菜总是大丰收，我们吃不完这么多蔬菜。我亲戚和朋友家的后院花园也面临同样的问题。他们的蔬菜水果也总是 大丰收，根本吃不完。我想要找一个办法分享这些生产过剩的蔬菜水果给 需要的人。透过 Asian Food Pantry 的帮忙，我可以把蔬菜水果装箱寄送到需要的人的家。

Leading into the summer of 2024, I contacted the Asian Food Pantry to see if I could set up some system of donating this excess produce. I also reached out to local bakeries, asking if they would be willing to donate baked goods. As the harvest season moved forward, I collected produce from my extended family and friends, packaging them into hand-decorated bags, along with freshly baked goods from Oyatsupan Bakers. These efforts culminated in over 200 pounds (90 kilograms) of donations delivered to over 20 households in just one summer. In 2025, we gathered a total of 305 pounds (138 kilograms) of donations, delivered to over 40 households. I look forward to continuing our efforts in the summer of 2026!

二零二四年夏天开始的时候，我发送电子邮件到 Asian Food Pantry。我问他们我可以怎样把这些生产过剩的蔬菜水果捐赠给需要的人。我也发送电子邮件到当地的面包店。我问他们愿意捐赠面包给我的专案吗？丰收季节到的时候，我收集了我亲戚和朋友的蔬菜水果，把他们装在手做装饰的纸袋里。最后，我也会把 Oyatsupan 面包店新鲜烤好的面包装在纸袋里。光是二零二四年夏天，我们捐赠两百多磅 (约九十多公斤)的蔬菜水果给二十多户需要的家庭。二零二五年夏天，我们捐赠三百零五磅 (约一百三十八公斤)的蔬菜水果给四十多户需要的家庭。我很期待二零二六年的夏天，我能继续帮忙更多 需要的人！