VetREST & Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers (two area 501(c)(3) non-profits) have partnered to create a Victory Garden at the Bybee Lakes Hope Center (BLHC) that provides hope & healing for homeless Veterans, families, and participants.

The nearly three-acre development on the site of a former correctional facility, now a homeless transition center, launched in the spring of 2021. Over 150 trees and three in-ground beds were planted with harvests happening since.​ The garden now features a native meadow, apple orchard, and vegetable garden for supporting the BLHC kitchen and teaching garden visitors the joy of growing their own food.

As you explore the garden, you’ll find apple trees, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, grapes, and more! In-ground beds are dedicated to leafy greens, flowers, and a rotating variety of seasonal crops—spring, summer, and fall—while raised beds give BLHC participants the opportunity to tend a small plot of their own. The herb beds and children’s garden invite visitors to engage all their senses and experience the garden’s beauty up close.

​Get the latest Bybee Lakes Hope Center Victory Garden updates via social media: VetREST Oregon Facebook and Bybee Lakes Facebook.

For more information please contact: rwhite@VetREST.org.

November 2025 Update:

Harvests have wound down and most of the garden has been put to sleep! Cover crops will be growing over the winter to support soil development while we continue tending our fall vegetable patch composed of leafy greens and snap peas. We are also organizing in and around the shed to ensure a great start to the 2026 season! - Jacob, Garden Manager