Meet our June Change for Good Recipient!
Pollinator Project Rogue Valley is a volunteer-led Oregon-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit concerned about the health of our native pollinators and plant communities. PPRV envisions communities and landscapes working together, supporting diverse ecosystems rich with native plants and thriving native pollinators.
"We inspire, engage, and educate about the ecological importance of native pollinator species and the diverse native plant communities essential for their survival - and ours. We are committed to the creation and restoration of pesticide-free pollinator corridors throughout
Southern Oregon." (PPRV)
Their Values:
Education - We are guided by our passion to teach and engage with the public of all ages. Our work is guided by science to conserve and protect pollinators as well as our local environment.
Gaia Principle - We believe the Earth to be a living system in which both a profound unity and respect for all life is critical, especially as it relates to our local pollination ecology.
Collaboration - We depend on collaborating with the community to carry out our mission and amplify our collective impact.
Commitment - We are a team that is committed to our cause and inspired by a shared devotion to the place we call home.
Integrity - We believe it is vital to be honest and transparent in our organization’s work and with each other.
Respect - We honor and value each person, their experiences, and contributions. This respect extends to the importance of acknowledging the indigenous peoples of North America as well as their culture, stewardship and on-going legacy.
JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) - We respect and support the diverse ways that humanity expresses itself and invite all races, genders, orientations, and abilities to our table and into our gardens. We feel it is important to stay curious and keep learning and adapting with an open mind and heart.
The work this organization does is simple, the more we know about the pollinators and plants that are native to this area, that are in fact essential components for our Southern Oregon ecosystem, the easier it will be for our human society to make decisions that will benefit us now and into the future. While making these solutions accessible and available to a wide range of community members, PPRV is proud to offer a myriad of programs for all age ranges to get outside and learn!
Programs offered:
Pollinator Pals - Providing children and teens, especially those living on low incomes, with hands-on science and place-based environmental education in schools, at community venues, and PPRV's Children's Learning Garden at Blue Heron Park in Phoenix. OR.
Growing Gardens - Engaging and educating students, interns, and volunteers on how to grow native plants, and creating and maintaining native plant demonstration gardens at our office, the Children's Learning Garden, and local schools. Thousands of native plants are grown in our Nursery each year for sale and donation to school gardens and community organizations.
Habitat Academy - Educating and engaging adults in place-based programs, workshops, and hands-on activities, often in partnership with other organizations and businesses, about native plants, pollinators, and the local ecosystem.
Rogue Buzzway - Mapping pollinator-friendly gardens and landscapes in partnership with Southern Oregon University, inspiring people to get involved with planting gardens while illustrating the increase of pesticide-free pollinator corridors in the region.
PPRV is moving! The organization's HQ has moved next door to their old location. This means more space for meetings and events, offices and windows to improve staff work quality and production, but at a higher cost. A generous sponsor has provided a donation of $10k, contingent on the organization matching that number with donations!
If you would like to learn more or support PPRV, please visit www.pollinatorprojectroguevalley.org
More Co-op News
Meet our May Change for Good Recipient
The Klamath Bird Observatory is focused on bird conservation and environmental education through ornithological practices. Emphasizing high-caliber science and the role of birds as indicators, KBO informs and improves natural resource management. Recognizing that conservation occurs across many fronts. The organization also aims to nurture an environmental ethic through community outreach and education.
April Change for Good Recipient
Meet our April Change for Good recipient, Stream Smart with the Rogue Valley Council of Governments!
What is Stream Smart?
Meet our March Change for Good Recipient
Rogue Valley Farm to School educates children about our food system through hands-on farm and garden programs, and by increasing local foods in school meals. They aim to inspire an appreciation of local agriculture that improves the economy and environment of our community and the health of its members. Rogue Valley Farm to School is proud to serve as southern Oregon’s Regional Hub for Education and Procurement.
Meet our February Change for Good Recipients
This month at AFC we're doing things a bit different! For the entire month of February round up your total at checkout and donate to TWO amazing organizations: Rogue Community Cat Rescue and Rogue Valley Street Dogs.
Rogue Community Cat Rescue is a nonprofit based in Medford, Oregon that aims to advocate for and improve the lives of community cats and kittens through Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), rescue, foster care, adoption, and education. Recently, RCCR has been able to shift into larger-scale projects including, but not limited to:
The Co-op Community Classroom - Learn from local educators!
Located at 300 N Pioneer St, just behind the Co-op, sits our lovely community classroom. Here, we host delicious cooking classes, free lectures, sustainability classes, health and wellness events, cookie parties, community dinners, board meetings, and more! Owners get discounts!
You can find all events happening in the classroom at ashlandfood.coop/events, or look around the store as you shop for information teasing our upcoming classes.
If you are interested in TEACHING a free or paid class, you can contact education@ashlandfood.coop for more information.
Meet our January Change for Good Recipient
"Moving people from crisis to stability," Opportunities for Housing Resources and Assistance or OHRA is a non profit organization whose mission is to help low-income people build better lives. This is done by offering both hope and access to various social services,
"We encourage those in need on the path to self-sufficiency."
December Change for Good: Jackson County Fuel Committee
If you’ve lived through even one Rogue Valley winter, you know the cold settles in quickly. The frosty mornings, the long dark evenings, the kind of chill that lingers no matter how many layers you put on - winter can be tough. And while many of us can manage with the help of heaters, woodstoves, and warm homes, thousands of families in our community struggle to access the heat they need to stay safe and comfortable. That’s where the Jackson County Fuel Committee (JCFC) comes in!
November Change for Good Recipient
Meet our November Change for Good Recipient: The Siletz Health Clinic
Celebrating Indigenous Food and Traditions
Each October, when so many across the country celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day, the Ashland Food Co-op pauses to reflect on the land we call home, the people who've cared for it, and how food and connections to the land can help us return that inheritance in a positive way.
September Change for Good: Siskiyou Field Institute
This month, your Change for Good donations support Siskiyou Field Institute (SFI), an organization that helps people connect with one of the most biodiverse regions in North America: the Klamath-Siskiyou ecoregion.
Meet our August Change for Good Partner - Ashland Schools Foundation
August's Change for Good partner is a perfect fit for this month as our kids head back to school. Ashland Schools Foundation (ASF) is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting quality education in Ashland's public schools. You may have run in the Monster Dash or noticed the "Perk Up for Students" sign at our local coffeeshops - these are just some of the (fun and delicious) ways you are already supporting ASF.
Welcome to the Board!
We are happy to welcome two new Directors, Evan Archerd and Elizabeth Walsh, to the Board! And we're thrilled to have Joanna Wnorowski Pecoraro continuing to serve!