Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "food access"

Cinco de Alchemist: A Celebration of Transformation

2009-11-06T22:37:03Z

Sacramento’s Alchemist Community Development Corporation hosted a party and fundraiser to mark its fifth anniversary Thursday evening, and veggies never seemed so cool.

At “Cinco de Alchemist,” about 150 guests enjoyed delightful offerings from local restaurants Mulvaney’s B&L, The Waterboy, Taylor’s Market, Magpie Caterers, Mikuni and more. Live music by Caribbean Jazz and Musical Charis complemented the celebratory mood.

Alchemist CDC was founded in 2004 by Wendy Carter, Lisa Nelson and Chris Aguirre to promote equitable community development in Sacramento. The nonprofit group believes that the overall health of the region depends on the health of urban centers, and they are currently focused on serving the Alkali Flats and Mansion Flats neighborhoods of downtown Sacramento.

In 2007, Alchemist CDC and the Sacramento Mutual Housing Association began the city’s first urban farm stand at J. Neely Johnson Park in Alkali Flats. In 2009, they began a farm stand at McClatchy Park in the Oak Park neighborhood. The farm stands operate from May through October.

Urban farm stands bring improved access to fresh, seasonal, locally grown vegetables and fruit to people and communities who can benefit most from it. An urban farm stand is different from a farmers’ market. Whereas farmers’ markets involve many different producers selling their produce in a large area, farm stands involve a single vendor who resells produce they have purchased from various local farmers. The farm stand is smaller and less complex than a farmers’ market and requires less coordination and fewer people to operate.

Alchemist CDC also operates an internship program for youth ages 14 to 18. According to their website, the “program focuses on providing the interns with knowledge of the benefits of fresh produce to overall health and disease prevention, as well as the differences in conventional and organic produce.”

Land Park resident Fiona Castleberry interned with Alchemist from May through October in 2009, and she attended the Cinco de Alchemist party. Castleberry worked as a volunteer at the new farm stand in McClatchy Park, and she said it was especially interesting to see how a new farm stand was set up.

“I was a bit skeptical before I started,” she said. “I really wasn’t sure there would be a lot of interest there in a farm stand, but it turned out to be a great success, and I learned a lot.”

Cinco de Alchemist was held at the newly renovated Beatnik Studios. Alchemist board president Wendy Carter said they looked at several spaces in Sacramento, but knew right away that Beatnik was just right. Beatnik did seem the perfect match for the event with its simple, elegant decor and wide-open spaces with room for guests to stand and talk or just lounge on the couches.

Carter and other Alchemist board members were pleased with the success of the event. Many of the guests stayed for hours chatting with old friends and new acquaintances, enjoying wine and beer from local producers.

“Alchemist is very appreciative of the support that everybody has shown us,” executive director Davida Douglas said in an e-mail. “The event exceeded our expectations and we are thankful to everyone that made it out to the event, and to the donors and supporters.”

Yet, there was a bit of uncertainty in Carter’s outlook about the future of Alchemist.

“We are in an in-between phase where it’s getting more difficult to raise the funds necessary to continue and expand our efforts in the community,” she said. Carter cited the economy as a huge strain on the funds available through grants and on the ability of the individual donor to give.

Carter said she has high hopes for the future of Alchemist and for better food access in her community.

“One of the things I have talked about is possibly operating the farm stands year round,” she said. “The farm stands have the best produce available in my opinion, and I miss it when it isn’t there.”

Board Secretary Jessica Pearson also has big dreams for the future of the community and its access to fresh, healthy food. She sees a future where the urban farm stands have become self-sustaining, integral parts of their respective neighborhoods and can be operated solely by the people who live there.

According to Alchemist’s website, alchemy is the medieval science that sought to transform base metals into gold. The Alchemist Community Development Corporation, true to its name, is seeking to guide the transformation and growth of the Sacramento community by putting the tools to do so in the hands of the people who need them most. If the outpouring of love, community and dedication present at Cinco de Alchemist is any indication, the future is golden for this organization and the communities it serves.

Where Is My Green?

2009-09-23T22:47:01Z

The green movement is in full swing these days. President Obama and his Administration are talking green jobs every day. The environmental movement is enjoying its day in the sun as the nation embraces green principles. Businesses such as Wal-Mart and Starbucks have implemented some sort of green practices. And, we even have Planet Green, the television station dedicated to teaching America how to live and build green.

Earlier this year, I launched Ubuntu Green www.ubuntugreen.org, a non-profit focused on building sustainable and equitable communities. I was particularly concerned with the impact of the green movement on urban centers, low income families and communities of color. It became very clear to me during my 20 years of public policy work that many of the progressive environmental, land use and transportation movements had often overlooked these constituencies. I was also concerned about how federal resources dedicated to green projects would impact these communities. Were companies that receive green job funds reaching out to underserved communities? Were we requiring that infill, redevelopment and new development in urban communities use the highest LEED standards, in order to not only lower energy cost and usage, but to also build healthy homes and other buildings? Were we helping to promote green lifestyles in communities that would include promotion of community gardens, farmers markets, and access to healthy foods?

As the green movement enjoys its day in the sun, we must take a moment and pause to ensure that all Americans are sharing the ample benefits. Government, foundation, business, non-profit and other entities must dedicate educational, technical and financial resources to ensure that the greening of our society is part of a long range commitment that does not end with the next election or shift in policy priorities.

I choose Ubuntu Green as a name of our organization, because I believe deeply in the South African term Ubuntu, which speaks to the common humanity and interdependence of all of humanity. The green movement will not be successful unless its goals are firmly rooted in ensuring green justice through the improving of the daily lives of all the world’s citizens.

This Blog originally appeared at blog.ubuntugreen.org

Food system advocates create action plan

2009-09-12T03:20:56Z

Members of the Regional Food System Collaborative (RFC) turned their attention again Thursday morning to improving the region's food system. The gathering, hosted by Valley Vision, couldn't have been held at a more fitting location. While colleagues gathered inside the Sacramento Food Bank, the hungry lined up outside to receive bags of free food.

Attendees came from local organizations that have a stake in our food system and share common goals: improving our eating habits and the way the local food system functions.

The discussion was facilitated by Valley Vision's Bill Mueller and the group of more than 50 broke into three subgroups to put their plans for change into action.

The collaborative project has undergone a "planning stage" and now is putting its plans into action.

Each work group had its own focus -- education, sustainable agriculture and food access. The goal was for each group to come up with three to five goal statements to put into action by 2011. Mueller asked groups to keep in mind the "S.M.A.R.T." philosophy and make goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. In addition, he reminded participants to think of goals that would get the most return with the least amount of effort.

As a reminder of the heart of the project, a flow chart pointed out that healthy soil leads to healthy food, which leads to healthy people and a healthy economy.

Each group was allotted 45 minutes to share ideas and participants were encouraged not to reject concepts without hearing them in their entirety. A Valley Vision representative facilitated each group. Afterward, group facilitators presented short-term goals and ideas. They include:

Education
-Create a tool kit that will teach local youth how to cook with a focus on tasting healthy food
-Idea that tasting healthy food might change any negative stigma
-Create a program incorporating a tool kit that can be replicated
-Have ambassadors or representatives to help spread message
-Branding: Create a unified, ongoing message and transmit it through social networking
-Focus on policy-makers and educate them as well as business leaders

Sustainable Agriculture
-Policy regulation
-Educate and have Legislature sign on to educational platform
-Increase resources
-Increase integration of technical resources
-Williamson Act

Food Access
-Create 20 new access points for fresh, healthy food
-Indicate on the label where food is grown
-Increase access to low-income and underrepresented communities
-Achieve price equity so food is accessible
-Make all programs multilingual

Many involved in the work group discussion were especially passionate about starting with changing habits of youth, who are impressionable and might encourage their parents to make healthy choices as well. After the presentations, the audience participated in a discussion of groups' decisions and goals.

In keeping with their beliefs, attendees ate locally grown organic fruit from Soil Born farms, which had several representatives at the meeting. One audience member expressed disdain for the plastic water bottles at the meeting, saying they go against everything for which the collaborative stands.

While Valley Vision has played a guiding role since the collaborative formed, Mueller encouraged everyone to continue convening in their work groups outside of planned meetings. He stressed that while Valley Vision has helped to push the project along, it is up to the group to keep the effort going.

Three work group meetings for each subtopic discussed at the collaborative are planned for October 13, 14, and 15 at Valley Vision. Attendees also expressed a strong desire for another collaborative meeting before February, when Valley Vision's involvement is scheduled to end.

To learn about future collaborative meetings or activities, contact Robyn Krock at robyn.krock@valleyvision.org or visit www.valleyvision.org.