I’ve kept busy the past few weeks - at my desk and
around my locale - seeking examples of food justice initiatives taking place in
Virginia. I found out AmeriCorps VISTA has summer opportunities in the Northern
Neck with Healthy Harvest, and in Charlottesville with New Roots/IRC. These
bring terrific experiences with a living allowance and other benefits. You may
know interested candidates so keep scrolling for more about those sponsors and
links to positions. You’ll see a one-minute video following my explorations included
below and I encourage CAAs to make your own short videos this summer to share
using tips NCAP sent for Community Action Month. Virginia abounds with
initiatives to educate and inform on health and nutrition, food preparation,
urban agriculture and sustainable rural farming. If passion exists, ingenuity
can bring accessibility to locally grown food that will benefit all.
Community Gardening at New Roots
I visited the 5th Street New Roots Community Garden in Charlottesville where volunteers were completing a new fence project. Building Goodness Foundation collaborated with New Roots of the International Rescue Committee to replace the fencing around a garden used by refugees and other New Americans to plant, reap and prosper. With Design Electric, Inc.’s volunteers providing onsite project management and advance preparation, a team of bicycle-traveling-volunteer-builders from Bike and Build joined to complete the effort that day prior to continuing their journey cross-country, stopping to assist with charitable construction projects along the way. This garden is one of 5 of varying sizes in the area managed by New Roots to allow for community involvement in growing food, finding health benefits and potential to earn income by micro-producers. As World Refugee Day is celebrated on June 20th, those who participate can keep their culinary traditions alive through the vegetables planted and subsequently prepared. Find out more about the work at New Roots here.
Current openings at New Roots/International Rescue Committee (IRC):
Aquaponics in the Northern Neck at Healthy Harvest
Supporting food banks for more than a decade, Healthy Harvest has also focused on distributing fresh produce with a commitment toward offering healthy food options and nutrition education to the communities served. Soon, they will become an aquaponics operator in the Northern Neck. I had the chance to talk with Tammy Cole, Director of Operations - Healthy Harvest Fresh about the project. The aquaponics will have enclosed fish farming (tilapia) that will provide nutrients for growing produce above surface - primarily to benefit regional food banks. A regional farm-to-school initiative will follow. The educational component is integral to its mission: teaching innovative agricultural food production, health and nutrition in alignment with Commonwealth curriculum guidelines.
Tammy’s 26 years in agricultural education and greenhouse management made the transition to her current position an exciting opportunity. It is evident by listening to her explain the scientific processes she is fully adept at reaching audiences of all levels. I was fascinated as she detailed the recirculating, symbiotic system of aquaponics that allows for production of fish to benefit planting, as she then summarized succinctly. “In essence, you feed the fish and then you harvest the water,” she said. Multi-step processes ensure the nutrients from fish waste are absorbed into the plants without transferring harmful bacteria, and safety protocols in place. With her energy and knowledge, the enthusiasm is clear and contagious.
She said that emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts would be incorporated into hands-on experiential education. When I suggested that the A for Arts could be included via presentational methods to become STEAM, Tammy indicated she hoped for STEAM – except A would stand for Agriculture in the acronym! She hopes to inspire a new generation of agriculturists. As a mentor, she will bring tremendous value to the volunteer experience.
Openings to support Healthy Harvest:
Interested in Making Videos?
Even if summer is full of activities to keep everyone busy, there is the inevitable downtime when boredom sets in. Since many households have access to some sort of phone or tablet with camera/video capability, digital storytelling can be a great way to keep all ages engaged, and to encourage creativity. If your CAA team already makes short videos (or wants me to visit and make some with you) let me know! Maybe your community wants to show us what they are doing with their budgets in the kitchen. If they’re tending a garden, perhaps they can let us take a virtual peek into what’s growing. Videos are a great way to highlight what your agency is doing and to spark new interests; fun to learn and practice marketable skills; explore, experiment and shine! You might inspire someone in the community you serve to follow a career path – in food prep, agriculture, education through media. Maybe you’ll find the next foodie-phenom in your CAA! Whatever the outcome, we can find joy in creating culinary stories that bring us closer to family and community, while illuminating our shared and distinctive cultural heritages. Here’s my one-minute latest example:
Community Gardening at New Roots
I visited the 5th Street New Roots Community Garden in Charlottesville where volunteers were completing a new fence project. Building Goodness Foundation collaborated with New Roots of the International Rescue Committee to replace the fencing around a garden used by refugees and other New Americans to plant, reap and prosper. With Design Electric, Inc.’s volunteers providing onsite project management and advance preparation, a team of bicycle-traveling-volunteer-builders from Bike and Build joined to complete the effort that day prior to continuing their journey cross-country, stopping to assist with charitable construction projects along the way. This garden is one of 5 of varying sizes in the area managed by New Roots to allow for community involvement in growing food, finding health benefits and potential to earn income by micro-producers. As World Refugee Day is celebrated on June 20th, those who participate can keep their culinary traditions alive through the vegetables planted and subsequently prepared. Find out more about the work at New Roots here.
Current openings at New Roots/International Rescue Committee (IRC):
- New Roots Community Garden Program
- Specialist New Roots Micro-Producer Program
- Specialist
Summer
Learning Facilitator - IRC
Aquaponics in the Northern Neck at Healthy Harvest
Supporting food banks for more than a decade, Healthy Harvest has also focused on distributing fresh produce with a commitment toward offering healthy food options and nutrition education to the communities served. Soon, they will become an aquaponics operator in the Northern Neck. I had the chance to talk with Tammy Cole, Director of Operations - Healthy Harvest Fresh about the project. The aquaponics will have enclosed fish farming (tilapia) that will provide nutrients for growing produce above surface - primarily to benefit regional food banks. A regional farm-to-school initiative will follow. The educational component is integral to its mission: teaching innovative agricultural food production, health and nutrition in alignment with Commonwealth curriculum guidelines.
Tammy’s 26 years in agricultural education and greenhouse management made the transition to her current position an exciting opportunity. It is evident by listening to her explain the scientific processes she is fully adept at reaching audiences of all levels. I was fascinated as she detailed the recirculating, symbiotic system of aquaponics that allows for production of fish to benefit planting, as she then summarized succinctly. “In essence, you feed the fish and then you harvest the water,” she said. Multi-step processes ensure the nutrients from fish waste are absorbed into the plants without transferring harmful bacteria, and safety protocols in place. With her energy and knowledge, the enthusiasm is clear and contagious.
She said that emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts would be incorporated into hands-on experiential education. When I suggested that the A for Arts could be included via presentational methods to become STEAM, Tammy indicated she hoped for STEAM – except A would stand for Agriculture in the acronym! She hopes to inspire a new generation of agriculturists. As a mentor, she will bring tremendous value to the volunteer experience.
Openings to support Healthy Harvest:
- Agriculture & Education Program Specialist - Healthy Harvest
- Operational
and Volunteer Specialist - Healthy Harvest
Interested in Making Videos?
Even if summer is full of activities to keep everyone busy, there is the inevitable downtime when boredom sets in. Since many households have access to some sort of phone or tablet with camera/video capability, digital storytelling can be a great way to keep all ages engaged, and to encourage creativity. If your CAA team already makes short videos (or wants me to visit and make some with you) let me know! Maybe your community wants to show us what they are doing with their budgets in the kitchen. If they’re tending a garden, perhaps they can let us take a virtual peek into what’s growing. Videos are a great way to highlight what your agency is doing and to spark new interests; fun to learn and practice marketable skills; explore, experiment and shine! You might inspire someone in the community you serve to follow a career path – in food prep, agriculture, education through media. Maybe you’ll find the next foodie-phenom in your CAA! Whatever the outcome, we can find joy in creating culinary stories that bring us closer to family and community, while illuminating our shared and distinctive cultural heritages. Here’s my one-minute latest example:
Selected Resources:
- Rural Community Development Initiative Grants in Virginia | Rural Development (usda.gov)
- Healthy Pantry Initiative (External) (vafoodbanks.org)
- Community Gardens | Richmond (rva.gov)
- VA Cooperative Extension
- VSU Small Farm Outreach Program
- VA Beginning Farmer
- VDACS
- Virginia Western CC Agriculture Programs
- Urban Farming in Roanoke
- Hampton Roads Agricultural Research Center
- Randolph Farms Petersburg
- Shenandoah Valley Ag & Arts
- Fairfax County Urban Agriculture
- Richmond City Food Justice
- Cultivate Charlottesville
- Watch CBS19 news segment and hear from Cecilia Lapp Stoltzfus, Manager, Food and Agriculture Programs for New Roots here.
Linda Russano is the VISTA Equity Specialist for the Virginia Department of Social Services, Community Services Block Grant. If you're interested in talking to Linda or sending her a video, contact linda.russano@dss.virginia.gov.