An Introduction to North Powder

The North Powder School Garden looks like a tornado ripped through it. Tomatoes litter the ground; cabbage is scattered like newspaper across the rows and corn stalks are torn and crushed to the ground. Inside the greenhouse, sunflowers hang from the rafters, corn is piled in boxes, on chairs, on the floor, and onions and peppers dominate the back tables. It was not a natural disaster that happened, however; it was fifty middle-school students. Tonight the temperature is supposed to drop into the twenties, but it was the easiest thing in the world to find teachers, students and parents ready to harvest this afternoon. 

My experience in the garden today is the norm at North Powder; and it blows my mind every time I see that many people playing in the garden. While helping maintain the garden, I am also working on bringing composting and chickens into the school and learning the challenges of the new national School Lunch standards. The difficulty of serving here is that there are too many ideas, opportunities, and resources. Even with the short growing season and mountain weather, this community overflows with enthusiasm like I never could have imagined.

North Powder is a town of about 500 people in eastern Oregon, between La Grande and Baker City, with an impressive view of the Elkhorn and Wallowa Mountains. It is also proof that good food can be accessed even in a geographically isolated location, thanks to people who recognize the importance of what they eat and are willing to work for it. North Powder is a new site for Oregon FoodCorps this year, and will also be hosting the state-wide orientation in a couple of weeks. Coming from a heavily Portland-centric perspective, it is amazing to share the great accomplishments happening on the other side of the state when it comes to local food and education.

Sometimes I’m still surprised to see Oregon license plates on the cars because it is so different from the Oregon that I am familiar with, but I am completely enthralled with this community, its people and its energy.