FoodCorps Now! Apply!

Want to be of service?   Improve the health and resilience of our local food system by engaging schools and students?  
Then AmeriCorps' new FoodCorps is for you!


The Gardens Project of NCO was chosen as one of ten sites in California to host a Food Corps Member.   

Applications are due by March 31st.
To find out more information about the FoodCorps program and submit your application, please visit http://foodcorps.org/.

Service Member Benefits:

* A $15,000 living allowance
* $5,550 AmeriCorps Segal Education Award: Upon successful competition of a 1,700 hour term of service, service members will receive this monetary award which can be used to pay for education at qualified institutions of higher education, educational training, and to re-pay qualified student loans.
* Health insurance: FoodCorps will provide basic health, vision and dental coverage.
* SNAP eligibility (dependent on total income)
* Student loan forbearance (if eligible)
* Partial childcare reimbursements (if eligible)

What Service Members Will Do: 

NUTRITION EDUCATION. FoodCorps members will provide food and nutrition education in participating classrooms, using proven curricula to align nutrition education with science, math, and language standards while teaching students about the vital role that nutrition plays in their overall health and their academic success.

ENGAGEMENT. All of the focus schools have existing school gardens that are currently maintained by the GENE Garden Coordinators. With Network for a Healthy California funding for these positions scheduled to be reduced and/or redirected, FoodCorps members will play a vital role in working with school administration, parent-teacher organizations, local businesses and service clubs as sponsors, and the community at large to organize for continued maintenance of the gardens. FoodCorps members will work to maintain and expand these gardens and to develop systems to ensure that students have hands-on garden time and that garden produce is shared with students through taste testing, cafeteria “garden tables,” and/or sampling in the cafeteria.

ACCESS. FoodCorps members working with NCO will have opportunities to develop, test, and refine creative strategies to increase student access to healthy local produce. FoodCorps members will be introduced to the school staff by the Farm2Fork Coordinator, who has been working for the past two years to build relationships with food service staff and local food producers, make connections between them, and strengthen school capacity to use fresh local produce by reinforcing their infrastructure and skills.

In addition to working directly in local schools, FoodCorps members joining NCO will have the opportunity to participate in the “big picture” development of the community’s food security system, building on NCO’s current efforts to stimulate local food production and well-developed relationships with community partners.

Contact the Gardens Project if you have additional questions about this local opportunity. 

Junior Academy Students Dig In!

This week, 20 enthusiastic students from Ukiah's Junior Acadamy donated their time and effort to help give Woodlands Apartment Garden a Spring cleaning!

With the sun shining and the air unseasonably warm, it was a perfect day to tackle stubborn Bermuda Grass and spread wood chips.

A big thank you to the hard workers at Junior Acadamy!

Click here for more photos of Woodlands Garden.

 

Are You a Beginning Farmer or Rancher?

 

2013 Sonoma County Agropreneaurs Beginning Farmer and Rancher Training Program is now accepting applications!

Who should apply:
If you're an aspiring/beginning farmer or rancher with at least one year of experience under your belt, and want to learn how to take your operation to the next level.
If you are interested in increasing your farming/ranching knowledge, connecting with experienced farmers/ranchers, receiving hands-on education, and creating crop, grazing and business plans. 

Click here for more information or to apply! Applications are due April 15th!

Community Health is Showcased at this year's Human Race Event!

One powerful way to support community health is by supporting the Ukiah Farmers' Market Food Stamp Match Program and by participating in this year's Human Race Event on May 4th in Ukiah.

#1  The power of the Food Stamp Match Program... builds nutrition and health with local families AND it supports our local farmers by bringing our tax dollars back to our community with purchases of locally produced foods. Here's how it works... A shopper with an EBT (Food Stamp/CalFresh) card, swipes the card at the farmers' market for up to $15. The local Food Stamp Match Program funds then match that amount up to an additional $15 in farmers' market tokens. The shopper now has up to $30 to spend on fresh, locally grown food!

• EBT shoppers are getting healthy, affordable food for their families.
• Local farmers are increasing their customer base and revenue.
• Federal tax dollars are returning to our local community.
• Our community is healthier!

#2  The power of the Human Race Event... builds health through physical activity AND it supports our local non-profit organizations.

• In the weeks before the Human Race, fundraisers collect donations from friends and acquaintances.
• There is a 5k course laid out through the beautiful, tree-lined streets of Ukiah's west side.
• May 4, 2013 is race day!
• Walkers and runners gather in Alex Thomas Plaza at 8:00AM.
• Hundreds of community organizations show their team spirit and excitement for their "cause."

It's easy to participate... YOU CHOOSE the level of involvement that suits you:

• You can simply donate online to the "Farmers Market Food Stamp Match Program"
• Give your donation to one of our fundraising team members (participating team members throughout our community include staff at Hillside Health Center, NCO Community Action, Ukiah Farmers' Market vendors, and more!) 
• Join the fundraising team (contact sheldont@ncoinc.org to get set up)
• Join our walking team on the day of the Human Race (contact sheldont@ncoinc.org to get registration forms)

BEANS Program Hits the Ground Running in 2013!

BEANS (Better Eating Activity and Nutrition for Students) has gotten off to a great start this year! A total of 18 teens were hired in October and spent two months learning cooking techniques, nutrition facts and facilitation skills. 
At the beginning of January, teens took their skills to the classroom with six-week-long sessions teaching in the elementary schools, the middle schools and then the high schools.

These hour-long lessons focus on nutrition topics such as eating balanced meals, the importance of breakfast and eating a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.This is then reinforced by making healthy snack such as lettuce-wrap tacos and a fun physical activity such as fruit and veggie tag.
 Last week concluded the end of the elementary school session where teen educators reached over 75 students each week in Ukiah, Willits and Fort Bragg.  Many of these students remembered participating in BEANS in the past and came to the lessons excited to cook. One of the most popular recipes this session was the healthy breakfast smoothie and guess what the secret ingredient was? Spinach! 

To read more about this great program check out the BEANS page!

Kids Eating Kale!

"Just try it, you'll like it!" When the children in the Fort Bragg Schools were presented with samples of Kale Citrus Salad and Rainbow Slaw in the cafeteria at lunch time, they were open and interested in tasting something new.  Getting children to try new foods can be challenging, but when presented in a positive environment without pressure it can be transformed into a fun activity.  The children who attend The Fort Bragg Unified Schools have been exposed to healthy foods for many years by being involved in the school gardens; being able to taste and harvest the plants right on the spot and experiencing the fresh picked taste.  Research shows that the more often children are exposed to a variety of foods in different ways the more likely they are to try it.
 
The Fort Bragg High School cafeteria staff, together with Gowan Lester and Paige Doyle from the Noyo Food Forest, served up samples of salad to the students as they came in for lunch.  They set the stage with a colorful table adorned with a vase of kale and pictures of children in the garden.  On the wall was a "Meet the Farmer" poster with a photo of Gowan in the Learning Garden greenhouse, once more making the connection from garden to table.  It was delightful to see that almost every student willingly tried the salad and some of the skeptics were quite surprised and came back for seconds.

The other schools did a similar tasting and enjoyed the salads in the following weeks.  With support from the NCO Farm2Fork program, more recipes and taste testings will be happening in local schools in an effort to introduce new and healthier menu items and feature fresh seasonal, local produce.


Kale Citrus Salad Recipe:
For dressing whisk together:
- 1/8 cup orange juice
- 1/8 cup rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp fresh ginger- grated
- 1/2 tsp soy sauce
- 1/8 tsp dry mustard
- pinch of black pepper

For salad toss together:
1/2 pound green cabbage- shredded
1/2 pound Dino kale- shredded
2 cups oranges- cut into pieces
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Coat mixture with dressing

Garden Leaders on the Rise - North County!!

The Gardens Project of NCO has begun its second year of our intensive Garden Leadership Program to train community gardeners to share, organize, lead, and continue to build the movement for expanding and sustaining spaces for community and school gardens.  This year - Mendocino County North!

The Gardner Leadership Program began in January 2012 and brought together 24 gardeners from 12 different community and school gardens in the greater Ukiah area and Anderson Valley. In November of 2012, the Gardens Project graduated this first class of participants.  Check out our new Ukiah based Garden Leadership Council!

Our new group of garden leaders will meet every six weeks through November to teach each other greater skills in: Building Community and Communication, Effective Leadership, Accessing Resources and Hosting Work Parties, Marketing Opportunities, and Garden Advocacy.

By the end of the year long training, the participants will comprise our North County Leadership Council that will continue to meet, share, plan, and advise The Gardens Project. In year three, the training will move to gardens on the Coast (Point Arena to Fort Bragg).

The Leadership Program is a component of NCO Community Action successfully receiving a USDA Community Food Projects grant to train community leaders in food production and work to alleviate poverty through re-building our local food system.

The gardens represented at this year's training are: Willits Community Garden, Brooktrails Community Garden, Bobcat Garden at Brookside Elementary, Willits Charter High School, Willits Charter Elementary School, Yuki Trails Community Garden in Covelo, and the Commonwealth Gardens of Howard Hospital. For more information about this year's training, contact The Gardens Project.