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When I'm up near Union Station here in Portland, I can't help but think there's gotta be a better use for many of the empty, eyesore surface parking lots than the current service they provide, which is apparently to hold extinguished cigarette butts and broken glass, while blades of grass pop up through the cracks here and there to admire their unparalleled view of the Steel Bridge.
A few hundred miles north of us, local charities are teaming up with businesses to turn those places in the city of Vancouver, B.C.'s Downtown Eastside into gardens with work opportunities for those who need them most -
About 50 volunteers took to wheelbarrows, shovels, and drills Saturday to begin construction of a new community garden in the Downtown Eastside.
The half-acre garden, located on East Hastings Street at Hawk Avenue, will provide food, job training, and education on urban agriculture for local residents, businesses, and community organizations starting next year.
This neighborhood is said to be Canada's poorest. Some food from the garden will be sold at farmers' markets and to local restaurants to support worker's salaries, while some will be donated to meal centers in the neighborhood.
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