Oregon ranks high in fruit and vegetable consumption, but many households, classrooms and community sites still struggle to grow and use produce year-round. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a clear need for simple, bilingual, hands-on garden and nutrition education across all 36 counties.
The Grow This! Oregon Garden Challenge showed how an Extension SNAP-Ed effort could lower cost and confidence barriers so families, schools and community groups could grow food where they lived and learned.
In 2020, the Oregon State University Extension Service Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) program spearheaded the Food Hero Grow This! Oregon Garden Challenge to help people grow food at home, at school and in community spaces.
With support from OSU Extension Master Gardener volunteers, the Oregon Potato Commission, the Oregon Bee Project and many local partners, the challenge sent free seeds, seed-starting kits and easy garden and cooking tips in English and Spanish.
Each year about 4,600 home kits supported an average of 18,372 Oregonians, and group leaders signed up more than 36,000 people to grow together.
Classrooms expanded the reach. In 2025, 1,500 full classroom kits and 557 mini kits went to 672 teachers in 437 schools — including 82 Head Start and Early Learning Centers — in 115 districts, reaching an estimated 53,355 students. A potato grow-bag add-on reached 493 teachers and more than 15,000 students with Oregon-grown seed potatoes.
Food Hero social media showed what to plant and how to use harvests. From spring 2024 to spring 2025, more than 20,500 Explore the Bees of Oregon activity books went to 692 teachers in 376 schools in 35 counties.
As a result, from 2020 to 2025, the challenge reached an estimated 475,620 Oregonians. At least 77 Oregon schools from pre-K through 12th grade took part each year.
In 2025, 58% of participants were returning. Of those who shared feedback, 89% planted seeds, 92% felt more confident using garden produce in a meal and 72% were very or extremely likely to recommend the challenge.
From a 2022 baseline, 2025 saw a 32% increase in new schools in Food Hero activities and a 25% increase in teachers signing up for Grow This! for SNAP-eligible programs. Participants most wanted to grow tomatoes (17%), then green beans (6%) and cucumbers (6%).
The Grow This! Oregon Garden Challenge showed how an Extension SNAP-Ed effort could lower cost and confidence barriers so families, schools and community groups could grow food where they lived and learned. With bilingual materials and statewide partners, it increased fruit and vegetable access, supported classroom learning and kept food-growing skills in Oregon communities.