For now, five garden beds sit vacant except for one lone, but valiantly fruitful, tomato. But by next spring, the garden adjoining the Community Outreach Inc. complex will be graced with 25 raised beds full of rich compost and organic vegetables.

That's the dream that Shirley King is working hard to make a reality. King is the volunteer and intern director at COI, and she is determined that, with the help of donations and volunteer efforts, the garden will soon overflow with produce, saving the organization thousands of dollars and giving residents at the COI emergency shelter a chance to work in the soil.

The shelter serves around 35 clients with a variety of needs who stay anywhere from six days to a full year. Those who can't afford shelter fees must work for their lodging, and tending the garden plots will be one more way they can pay for shelter. COI provides food for clients as well as a safe, warm place to stay.

"One thing we do is buy a lot of vegetables," King said. "We spend $10,000 to $12,000 a year on vegetables. If we could raise our own, we'd save a heck of a lot of money."

This weekend, COI is holding a garage sale to raise money to build the raised beds. The sale was filled with donations ranging from stuffed toys to towering bookshelves, and customers were rummaging through bargains, including Gae East, who saw the sign for the sale Friday and made a special trip Saturday morning to support COI and find some bargains.

"I'm just browsing," she said. "I did find something, a large salad bowl."

Manning the cash box, Oregon State University student Caryn Ong shielded her eyes from the sun and waited for customers to line up. Ong is a member of the student group MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences), which includes community service work as a fundamental component.

MANRRS is a national organization aimed at encouraging minority students to build the skills necessary to thrive in the business world. Community service and professional development activities are part of molding students to survive once they leave college.

In addition to helping out at the sale, MANRRS members will work on the raised garden project.

"We're working with the OSU Organic Growers Club," Ong said. "They'll be giving us advice. They're pros."

Faculty adviser Wanda Crannell said the COI project was a good match for the group.

"It's going to be really nice (to work with COI)," she said. "We have college students who want to make a difference, and this provides an opportunity to really help out."

King said the garden project still needs support, including donations of good-quality garden tools. Anyone interested in helping can call 758-3000.

The sale continues from 1 to 4 p.m. today at 865 N.W. Reiman Ave.

Theresa Hogue can be reached by e-mail at theresa.hogue@lee.net or by phone at 758-9526.