Lents Grown isn’t just the area’s tagline – it’s the literal description of a project funded by the Community Livability Grant program that created a community orchard in a once-vacant lot at SE 87th Avenue and SE Malden Court.
Prosper Portland provided a $30,000 grant to the Green Lents project, nearly a third of the total $100,000 cost.
The Malden Court Community Orchard (MCCO), designed and developed by neighbors in the community, is intended to serve as a long-term source of fresh produce in the Lents neighborhood. MCCO also serves as a publicly accessible green space; improves public safety, the watershed health of Johnson Creek, and neighborhood livability; and provides environmental education opportunities for local schools and the surrounding community.
A rainy-day opening on Saturday, September 17, 2016 did not deter the orchard’s enthusiastic volunteers and supporters. MCCO is now a young food forest with more than 250 native and fruit-bearing plants, and much room for development and growth.
