Welcome to the Shasta Valley Community Food Conversation!
The conversation began with the meeting held May 20, 2013 at the Yreka Community Resource Center. Thirteen residents came together to talk about food resources, opportunities and challenges, and access in their communities. That discussion and sharing led to the creation of three action groups that started talking about projects and interests that those in the room had selected as critical. The goal of this meeting was to get community members connected and thinking about projects in their towns and even larger areas of the county.
Here you can review the food resources identified at the meeting, the opportunities and challenges discussed and the work done by action groups at the meeting. If you are interested in joining a community-driven action group or would like to add to the list of , please contact Renee Casterline at GNS and she will put you in touch with group leaders.
Community Food Assets
Yreka
Food Production:
Rotary Garden at Fairgrounds EDC Commercial Kitchen
Community Gardens Greenhouses Harry & David’s
Extension Services 4-H raising animals
High School: FFA, Life Skills class, Greenhouse (horticulture/floral)
Native plant nursery
Distribution:
USDA Commodities Farmers Market (A-1 Auto Wednesdays)
Community Resource Center Tribal Commodities (N. CA Indian Development)
FEMA Emergency Food Food Bank (Juvenile Hall) Brown Bag Program ?
Schools Breakfast and Lunch Programs Grub Club Garden Produce
Churches (7th Day Adventist, Mormon, St. Joes, Lutheran Church Emergency Food bags)
Processing:
Leftover excess food to FRC’s Home Grower’s excess Dairy (Stan ?)
Amy Tamm (canning, gleaning gardening) CalWorks for doing work
Consumer Resources:
Madrone Hospice COS St. Joseph’s hot meal (Sat noon) Ministerial Food Pantry
Greenhorn Grange hot meals Senior Center meal delivery Senior Center meals Fairchild Medical dietician Caroline Brask cooking classes SisQ Domestic Violence
Grant writers and Grant managers Lynne Schafer (cooking, gardening, canning)
Healing Arts Center (cooking classes) W.I.C. Cal Fresh and Farmer’s Market Coupons
County Public Health expanding SNAP-Education program and facilitating Community Nutrition Advisory Council (CNAC) Molly classes on less familiar vegetables
Lions Club Woof apprenticeship (Paz) COS greenhouse (Richard Giordanengo)
Plant based horticultural alliance (COS ASB Club) SNAP-Ed Michelle Harris
Cliff Munson – Golden Fair
Shasta Valley General
Food Production:
Rockside Ranch Bel Campo 4 Brothers Prather Ranch
CSA Community supported Agriculture (Kate O’Brien) Seed production (Kate O’Brien)
Hunter’s Orchards Shasta Valley Resource Conservation District
Wild and feral foods, seed and dried food bank, gardener, farmer, forager (Paz)
Distribution:
Rays Raleys Siskiyou Distributing Fair auctions Grub Club
Gazelle Commodities
Processing:
Bel Campo
Consumer Resources:
Kirsten Olson – organic certification education
Montague
Production:
Montague farmers FRC Garden Ann Robinson (meat)
Devon Strong 4 Eagles Farm
Distribution:
HUB Family Resource Center GNS Commodities Maranatha nut butter donations
Methodist Church (Emergency Food) Farmer’s Market Saturday AM
Consumer Resources:
SNAP-Ed Help Your Neighbor
Shasta Valley Opportunities
CalFresh EBT for local farmers
Double up Cal Fresh $
Food Co-op to sell local food
Economic Development Farm 2 School/Farm 2 Table
Map of all gardeners
Truck refrigeration to move food
Gleaning Program fruit trees
Gleaning Program veggies
Work for volunteers
TANF Cal Works workforce
KTTP Karuk Tribal Program
Community Service hours
Connecting workers to work
Career development and job skills
Increased yield with help (time sensitive)
Mentors available for education – community gardens
Vacant land (fenced and H2O)
Composting plan
Organic certification
Eligibility education for growers
WIC program voucher distribution
Education for WIC recipients
Community garden – place to grow
EDC commercial kitchen
211 Program (needs development)
Neighborhood (Community) bartering exchange
GNS Distribution
Added value to local food
Revitalize plan at YHS for facility
Shasta Valley Challenges
No centralized network source facility for food distribution/education/storage/refrigeration
Insurance issues
Information distribution for needy
Fresh food in winter
Method and location to supplement food banks
Pool of volunteers at all levels – coordination missing
$ to pay for help
Legal food policy issues/regulations
Food safety modernization Act
Size of county and transportation and other related issues
Apathy
Need for cohesive community spirit
Easy access to less healthy food
Education for making healthy choices
At this Community Food Conversation, we asked the question: What do you want to do?
Below are those responses
number of votes received during the meeting in prioritizing opportunities and challenges indicated to the left)
5 No centralized network source facility for food distribution/education/storage/refrigeration
4 Map of all gardeners
3 Econ. Dev. Farm 2 School/Farm 2 Table
3 Gleaning Program fruit trees
3 Gleaning Program veggies
3 mentors available for education – community gardens
3 Legal food policy issues/regulations
2 Connecting workers to work
2 increased yield with help (time sensitive)
2 Fresh food in winter
1 Truck refrigeration to move food
1 Work for volunteers
1 TANF Cal Works workforce
1 Composting plan
1 WIC program voucher distribution
1 Insurance issues
South County action groups:
Group 1: Community Food Networking facility
Step One: Identify the primary goal and three activities to support the achievement of this goal over the next few months.
Identify location – visit successful programs (ACCESS OREGON)
Develop facility or append to existing facility
Develop distribution logisitcs
Greenhouses for year round food growing
Step Two: Who are your partners?
Brainstorm the potential partners for your activities. Consider Non-profit and public interest organizations, Community-based organizations, Neighborhood associations, Faith-based organizations, Ethnic and cultural associations, Schools, youth groups and parent groups, Colleges and universities, Government agencies, Elected officials and their staff, Businesses, Other
GNS SCEDC COS Senior Center Resource Centers Food Pantry
Gleaners Churches Schools
Step Three: What is your next most doable step towards your goal?
Discuss and identify three potential locations
Look for funding
Connect with partners
Group 2: Gleaning fruits and veggies
Step One: Identify the primary goal and three activities to support the achievement of this goal over the next few months.
A Gleaning Organization
Information Distribution
Workforce Sources (liability issues)
Scheduling
Thinning – Gleaner Training
Transportation – People – Product
Like “Plates for People” in Mt. Shasta
Food Providers for hungry people
Step Two: Who are your partners?
Brainstorm the potential partners for your activities. Consider Non-profit and public interest organizations, Community-based organizations, Neighborhood associations, Faith-based organizations, Ethnic and cultural associations, Schools, youth groups and parent groups, Colleges and universities, Government agencies, Elected officials and their staff, Businesses, Other
Community Gardens Farmers Orchardists Individuals
Step Three: What is your next most doable step towards your goal?
Interest assessment in community
Group 3: Mentoring
Step One: Identify the primary goal and three activities to support the achievement of this goal over the next few months.
Main Theme – gardening
Basics – preparing ground, designing and planting garden, seed production, growing plants for seed
Step Two: Who are your partners?
Brainstorm the potential partners for your activities. Consider Non-profit and public interest organizations, Community-based organizations, Neighborhood associations, Faith-based organizations, Ethnic and cultural associations, Schools, youth groups and parent groups, Colleges and universities, Government agencies, Elected officials and their staff, Businesses, Other
Snap-Ed program County Health & Human Services Senior Programs Schools COS FRC’s Faith based orgs
Step Three: What is your next most doable step towards your goal?
Monthly workshops