Community Action Steps

Below are FOUR ways that you can help keep the Hillsdale Farmers’ Market in Hillsdale.

1️⃣ Email PPS Leadership and the Portland School Board urging them to keep the market at its current location during the Ida B. Wells modernization.

WHO WE’RE ASKING YOU TO EMAIL

• Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong, Superintendent — karmstrong@pps.net

• Dr. Jon Franco, Senior Chief of Operations/Facilities — jfranco@pps.net

• Deborah Kafoury, Chief of Staff — dkafoury@pps.net

• PPS School Board — schoolboard@pps.net

  To populate an email addressed to the folks above, CLICK HERE

  EMAIL SUGGESTION TO PPS: Feel free to copy this message directly, or adapt it to make it your own. Personal stories — like how long you’ve been shopping at the market, how it’s impacted your family, or what it means for your business — are especially powerful. Places to include personal stories and identification are bold italicized below.

Subject: Keep the Hillsdale Farmers’ Market in Hillsdale During IBW Modernization

Dear Dr. Armstrong, Dr. Franco, Ms. Kafoury, and Members of the PPS School Board,

I am writing to urge you to ensure that the Hillsdale Farmers’ Market remains at its current location throughout the modernization of Ida B. Wells High School.

The Hillsdale Farmers’ Market has called its current location home for 20 years and is a vital community resource:

• It connects more than 70,000 neighbors each year with over 70 local farms and small businesses.

• It provides more than $25,000 annually in food assistance, expanding access for SNAP shoppers and families.

• It invests in programs that nourish kids, strengthen local nonprofits, and fight food insecurity.

• Brings significant foot traffic to the Hillsdale Business District on Capitol Highway, so much so that many businesses have adjusted their hours to welcome their neighbors’ business. If the market were to relocate, the majority of Hillsdale businesses would likely suffer real losses in income.

Displacing the market would put all of this — and the future of the market — at risk.

On a personal note, [Insert your story here — for example, “I’ve been shopping here with my family since the market first opened,” or “As a vendor, this market sustains my business and connects me directly to the community.”]

I also want to acknowledge PPS’s concerns about safety and logistics during construction. The market and school modernization are not mutually exclusive. With planning and open communication, I believe both can succeed side by side. The market is committed to working with PPS, contractors, and the community to mitigate risks and adapt operations as needed.

Please ensure the Hillsdale Farmers’ Market is not displaced during the modernization of Ida B. Wells High School. This is not a choice between a new school or the market — with collaboration, we can have both.

Thank you for your leadership and for listening to the Hillsdale community.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Neighborhood and Connection to the Market]

2️⃣ Take our community survey and help us show PPS decision makers how much the market matters to Hillsdale.

3️⃣ Get involved. Join Hilldale Neighborhood Committee’s Keep the Market Committee to work alongside the Market, local businesses, and neighbors to keep the market in Hillsdale. Sign up here 👉 https://hillsdalepdxna.org/hillsdale-farmers-market/ 

4️⃣ Learn more. Read our detailed position summary: Preserving the Hillsdale Farmers’ Market Location During Construction of Ida B Wells: A Better Outcome for the Community

09/04/2025 — Update from the Hillsdale Neighborhood Association Meeting on 9/3/25

At this week’s Hillsdale Neighborhood Association (HNA) meeting, neighbors voiced overwhelming support for keeping the Hillsdale Farmers’ Market at its current location during the modernization of Ida B. Wells High School. Attendance was the largest in years — both in person and online — and may well have set a record!

The association unanimously passed a resolution opposing Portland Public Schools (PPS) displacing the market during upcoming construction.

We were also joined by District 4 Councilor Olivia Clark, a former 20-year Hillsdale resident, who committed to coordinating a joint letter from all three District 4 Councilors to PPS leadership and the Portland Mayor in support of the market.

Here are the key updates:

• Councilor Olivia Clark committed to coordinate a joint letter from all three District 4 Councilors to PPS leadership and the Portland Mayor, urging them to keep the market in Hillsdale.

• A farmers market site visit with PPS leadership is being scheduled for this week.

• Community members emphasized that the market and school can safely coexist—this is not “a new school OR the market,” but both together.

• The market is a vital neighborhood anchor. Local businesses, like How Sweet It Is Classic Confections and Basics Market, rely on Sunday market traffic. Losing our location would ripple through the community.

09/02/2025

After more than 20 years in the heart of Hillsdale, we’ve been informed that we stand to lose our lease from Portland Public Schools (PPS) during the 3-year construction phase of the Ida B. Wells High School modernization project, anticipated to begin in 2026. 

We want to be clear: we don’t want to move. 

Our market connects more than 70,000 visitors each year with 70+ local farms & small businesses, provides over $25,000 annually in food assistance, and invests in programs that nourish kids, strengthen local nonprofits, and fight food insecurity. Displacement would put all of this – and the future of the market – at risk.

As our staff, board, and community partners continue to fight to find an alternative, positive outcome for the community, here is how YOU can help:

1️⃣ Join the conversation. Attend the Hillsdale Neighborhood Association (HNA) meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 3 with Councilor Olivia Clark. Details to attend in-person or via Zoom 👉 https://hillsdalepdxna.org/

2️⃣ Get involved. HNA has launched the Keep the Market Committee to work alongside the Market, local businesses, and neighbors to keep the market in Hillsdale. Sign up here 👉 https://hillsdalepdxna.org/hillsdale-farmers-market/ 

3️⃣ Learn more. Check out our detailed position summary: Preserving the Hillsdale Farmers’ Market Location During Construction of Ida B Wells: A Better Outcome for the Community

4️⃣ Stay tuned.  Watch for an upcoming survey where you can make your voice heard.

We believe we have a strong chance of reversing this decision if we organize an effective response.

This is our home. Let’s keep it that way. 💪

~ The Hillsdale Farmers’ Market team