Our purpose is to launch a community garden in Portsmouth, NH, a city of about 21,00 residents, with no current community garden. Our mission is to create a community space where individuals and local organizations who want to grow food can connect in a peaceful, respectful, and inclusive environment. The idea for a community garden started when one of the board members wanted to grow more vegetables than her tiny, typical Portsmouth lot allowed. It was quickly discovered that Portsmouth didn't have a community garden, so the Board set out to change that. It is vitally important to the health of our community and for the environment that residents start to grow more of their own food. A common space used for gardening brings the community together in a shared passion. Less food shipped far distances and sold in the grocery store is good for our environment. After the garden gets established, we plan to host outreach programs with a goal to reach individuals and groups who may otherwise not have the opportunity to grow their own food.