About Us

We are a non-profit 501(c)3 community-based garden program located in Milwaukie, Oregon. Our garden season runs from May through October. We host free monthly themed sessions led by an OSU Extension Master Gardener, where members get to learn more about garden concepts and how to prepare and cook with what they grow in the garden. We also host activities and events at the garden and in the community throughout the year. The goal of our program is to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities foster independence, develop a better understanding of nutrition and healthy-eating habits, make social connections, and teach members the process of growing their own food.

As past Direct Support Professionals (DSP) ourselves, we started Aspire Together, with the recognition of the need for an inclusive place in the local metro-area community, where adults supported by provider agencies, Personal Support Worker (PSW), residential homes, and families could go to learn more about nutrition, develop better healthy-eating concepts, be out in nature, and have the opportunity to meet people out in the community. Since opening in 2021, we have supported many individuals and partnered with several provider agencies. With almost all members returning to the garden each season! We strive to continue to provide this inclusive space and we welcome anyone who would like to join, volunteer, or learn more information to please feel free to contact us.

Please join us in Aspiring others in your life to grow and foster independence.

Benefits of a Community Garden

Watching something grow from a small seed that you planted in the ground to a full blooming plant is something real and magical! As Audrey Hepburn once said, "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow."

Time in Nature

Being outside is good for your physical and mental health. We tend to breath deeper when we are outside, which helps clear out our lungs, increase oxygen levels in the blood, and improves our digestion and immune response.

Did you know that spending time outside in sunlight has proven to reduce heart rate, lower blood pressure, and reduce muscle tension?

Builds a sense of community

The garden environment promotes more than social connection, trust, and reciprocal relationships between individuals, it provides something to which anyone can belong.

Gardens are a safe, diverse, and collaborative place where people from all different backgrounds and cultures can come together to plant seeds, pull weeds, pick fresh produce, discuss garden tips, and foster a sense of belonging in the community.

Mental health benefits

Exposure to sunlight from being in the garden can help boost vitamin D levels, which benefits your bones, immune system, and mental health. Just don't forget to use the sunscreen!

Did you know that getting dirt under your nails while gardening can actually make you happy? There is a healthy bacterium that lives in soil that can increase serotonin levels and reduce anxiety.

Gardening can also help reduce anxiety and processing grief by focusing on a specific task, setting goals, and watching what you planted grow and thrive.

Improved diet

Growing and eating the vegetables and fruits that you grow from your garden can have a positive impact on your diet by helping you have access to fresh produce in your diet, learn about fruits and vegetables you may have not known about, and develop healthy-eating habits.

Vegetables and fruits can have unique health benefits. For example, tomatoes are high in calcium.

When your grow your own food, you also are reducing exposure to pesticides.

Get Involved

Volunteering

Are you interested in volunteering with our community garden program? Please reach out directly about volunteer opportunities.

Garden Members

We have 12 garden box plots, 3 of the boxes are ADA accessible and are reserved for members with mobility needs. The 3 boxes are located on a fully paved sidewalk from parking lot to garden.

If interested in becoming a garden member, please sign up through individual or agency below.