A Community Treasure

This December brings great promise to Mendocino County! There's the welcome rain, of course. But there's also a new social movement afoot... a movement towards creating a culture of health and wellness. It's called Leaders for a Healthy Community.

Over 40 service professionals (including professionals from health clinics, school gardens, family resource centers, afterschool programs, Health and Human Services, high schools, preschools,  hospital foundations, teen leaders, and parent leaders) came together in both Ukiah and Willits for the first of 10 monthly Leaders for a Healthy Community meetings. The participants officially signed on as Health Leaders, committing to work within their organizations to implement health, nutrition and physical activity programming and policies, and committing to collaborate and form new health connections across the community.

What a community treasure! The Health Leaders bring so much enthusiasm and experience to this work. All are dedicated to creating a community where health and wellness are front and center, where opportunities to eat well and be physically active abound. They are excited about sharing resources, learning more about nutrition education, promoting activity, building relationships across the community, and truly moving the dial towards greater health and wellness in Mendocino County.

In the new year, expect to see "health happening here" as the Health Leaders roll out their programs and make presentations to decision-makers and governing bodies around Mendocino County.

B.E.A.N.S. is Hiring High School Students!



BEANS teens Devina and Alasia giving out delicious samples at the Willits Food Bank this summer



BEANS (Better Eating, Activity and Nutrition for Students) is hiring responsible and motivated high school students  who are interested in cooking, healthy food and teaching to become Teen Nutrition Advocates in Willits, Ukiah and Fort Bragg.

Earn Community Service Hours, Job Skills, Great Experience for College Applications and $1000!

Click HERE for a full description and application

Find out what we've been doing these past few years HERE

In Fort Bragg?  Click HERE for info on Ft. Bragg BEANS

TELL YOUR FRIENDS!!

Fresh From the Start Begins!

This Tuesday is the first day of the Fresh from the Start Nutrition and Cooking Program! From January until May, Fresh from the Start will be conducting 16 nutrition classes with the Young Parent Program of Ukiah High School. We aim to empower teen parents to adapt healthier lifestyles for themselves and their families by teaching them about nutrition, physical activity and how to cook healthy affordable meals. Fresh from the Start is a grant funded program through the Network for a Healthy California and is being administered by Adrienne Binder, an AmeriCorps VISTA of First 5 Mendocino, and Cassie Dillman, an AmeriCorps VISTA of First 5 and The Gardens Project.

We will be working with a class of 16 teen mothers over the course of the next month, exploring the basics of healthy living. Fresh from the Start will cover topics including: Portion sizes, label reading, how to manage a food budget, breastfeeding, child and infant nutrition, healthy breakfasts, and Re-Think Your Drink. We will be making yummy recipes with the mothers, ranging from Turkey Veggie Chili to healthy baby foods for their children.

Check in over the next few months to hear updates about the project!

Ukiah High Farm Stand

Ukiah high Hillside Farm just finished their first ever summer CSA program. With 16 CSA members the season bounty included a bumper crop of tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, greens, and tons of ground cherries. This winter brings a new challenge for the High School Farm: operating a farm stand. The farm stand will be run by an awesome healthcorps volunteer and food will be harvested and grown by the high school students. Fresh winter greens straight from the farm will be available every Friday starting on January 7th from 2:45 - 3:30. The farm stand (farm table..) will be located across the street from Low Gap park.

To get a weekly email update on what is available on Fridays click here to send us your contact information. Can't make it to the farm stand on Fridays? Produce is also available at the West side Renaissance Market in Ukiah.

Ukiah High Aquaponics

Ukiah High Aquaponics program was featured in the TIME video. Check out the video below to learn more about the program which works closely with Ukiah High Hillside Farm. Ukiah High is taking the steps to close the food system loop!

Garden Update

The Washington Ave garden was a quarter acre parking lot until May 2010. Now it is a gardening destination for the neighborhood, filling up with squash, ripening tomatoes, and content gardeners.

The Ukiah High School Hillside Farm made a huge push the past few months to start a CSA for this summer. Now the hillside above the High School looks like a productive farm straight out of Switzerland, with rows and rows of veggies running along the contours of the hill.

The South Ukiah Head Start Preschool garden broke ground in May of 2009.

The before pictures were taken in November ’09, and the after pictures were taken this week. There is a three sisters garden (corn, beans, and squash), a tomato-pepper-basil jungle, herbs, flowers, strawberries, and a bed waiting

for more greens. Yum.

High School Fish and Farm Program: The California Report | The California Report

High School Fish and Farm Program: The California Report | The California Report

Ukiah High Hillside Farm is on the California Report!

Check out the report to listen to the innovative things they are doing! With funding from the stimulus money Ukiah High is starting a new aquaponics program as well as a CSA for faculuty and community members at Ukiah High. The CSA is run by two farm managers with help from six students interns. Ukiah High is creating jobs and providing training for future farmers!

If you are interested in signing up for the CSA and you are in the Ukiah area contact Julie at 468-8493.

Earth Day with the CCC

Thursday April 22^nd was Earth Day, and the Ukiah California Conservation Corps (CCC) showed their love to Mother Earth by volunteering with The Gardens Project. 75 CCC members spent the day tackling large infrastructure tasks in five community gardens around Ukiah, including installing a new community garden located on 168 Washington Street. The site for the new garden had been covered with asphalt for the past five decades, and the soil just saw light and breathed fresh air for the first time last week when the asphalt was removed. The CCC dug, sifted rocks out of the soil, and moved compost to get the garden beds ready for residents of the surrounding area, most of whom live in apartments, to plant their summer gardens. The CCC also dug garden beds at the Ukiah High School farm, where community members are reinvigorating the agriculture program and will shortly be offering a CSA. Pomolita Middle School got their infrastructure needs taken care of so that they can focus on planting and harvesting, as did River Oak Charter School. Cleveland Lane Community Garden received help installing a much needed fence along one side of the garden to stop vandalism and the pilfering of vegetables.

A thousand thank yous to the CCC for all their hard work. What a difference they continue to make in community and school gardens around Ukiah!