Mendo Food Futures Gets Hip and Becomes Grange Grains

Mendo Food Futures Gets Hip and Becomes Grange Grains

(Lucas Polit, of Polit Family Farms shows us his brown rice)

In 2009 North Coast Opportunities and Willits Economic Localization with support from the Community Services Block Grant and Cal-Endowment created a local food backed currency and called it Mendo Food Futures now called Grange Grains. It's mission was to provide markets for local farmers, increase community food security, and provide an alternative currency to be used in the community. In one year the project created and distributed $10,000 worth of Mendo Food Future notes, sold over 10,000 pounds of local organic grains and provided grain storing and preparation materials to consumers at Farmers Markets.

In 2010 I, Mason Giem, an Americorps Vista Member working for North Coast Opportunities, was recruited to help with the project. I ran the Farmers Market booth, and tried to find ways to make the project sustainable without grants. After attending a small business workshop I wrote a business plan in which I proposed that the project expand our markets to local restaurants and stores. Shortly after a M.O.U. was developed to hand the project over to the local Little Lake Grange #670. The Grange is exited about participating in a local food project and has provided space to build five, four ton grain silos. We are developing a partnership with the local food bank to use their food delivery van. With a twenty ton storage capacity, a new operational structure and a new advertising plan, Mendo Food Futures is ready to ascend to the esteemed position of Grange Grains.

Look for Grange Grains to be sold at our local restaurants. In Willits you will find our brown rice at the Farmers Market every Thursday from 3:00 to 6:00 at the Little Lake Grange on State Street, Burrito Exquisito on Main Street and soon at the Howard Memorial Hospital. In Ukiah in the near future you will find either our brown rice, white rice or black beans at the Ukiah Brewery, New Dragon restaurant and Patronas. Grange Grains still maintains the Mendo Food Futures mission of encouraging and creating local food security and providing a market for local farmers. Unfortunately the local currency was not being traded amongst the community and the banks would not turn the food future credits into American dollars. I hope that in the future we can develop a system where individuals buy food future credits from us and exchange them at the participating local restaurants and then the local restaurants can exchange them to us at Grange Grains for grains.

Blessings to all,

Mason Giem

Americorp VISTA

Gardens Project of N.C.O.

Willits Farm To School

Local, Organic, Tomato sauce for the Willits Unified School District

Although the season is winding down, harvests continue to pour in at Brookside Elementary School Farm, and the new farm to school program is well underway! Every Tuesday and Thursday, Antonia Partridge, the farm manager, and a crew of volunteers picks produce from the 1-acre organic farm tucked into the back corner of the athletic field at Brookside Elementary School. The tomatoes are just booming! We have Amish Paste, Roma, several heirloom varieties, and lots of cherry tomatoes (black cherry, sweet million, yellow pear, and sungolds). Yum! On Tuesday, volunteers picked 68 pounds of Roma and paste tomatoes, 23 pounds of heirloom slicers, 38 pounds of cherry tomatoes, 14 pounds of cucumbers, 21 pounds of squash and zucchini, 4 pounds of broccoli, and 4 pounds of mixed greens, such as chard and kale.

Most of the produce is then taken to Little Lake Grange, where another fantastic group of volunteers wash the produce, make fresh tomato sauce, and can it using glass Mason jars. So far we’ve canned over 100 quarts of pasta sauce! This sauce, along with washed cherry tomatoes and sliced cucumbers, is delivered to the school district so that Willits schools can add in farm-fresh, healthy, organic food to their lunch offerings. Way to go Willits!

-Written by Alison Petro