| View this email online if it doesn't display correctly |
|
|
|
|
|
Greetings from 90 Garfield Avenue! This is our first newsletter since our big move earlier this month, and we're thrilled with all the help, support and donations we've received to turn this space into a home.
|
|
In this issue:
- Youth spread the message of healthy food
- Invitation to tour FRESH's new space at our open house
- Update on our fundraising progress toward hiring an assistant director
- Putting the farm to bed for the winter
|
|
|
|
| | FRESH youth members and junior staff pose with Executive Director Arthur Lerner (at left) and with youth program leaders Maegan Parrott and Mirna Martinez (back row) in front of the FRESH truck, parked outside our new office at 90 Garfield Avenue. |
| | Youth spread message of healthy food |
| The FRESH youth crew has been especially busy this past month, sharing their knowledge of healthy food practices with other youth food activists and with the community.
|
| Sharing our message and learning from others at Bioneers conference
Four youth and two staff attended the New England Bioneers Connecting for Change conference in New Bedford, Mass. They raved about sharing their work in the Youthshare tent, and attending spoken-word performances about leadership, sessions about community organizing and interactive presentations on exercise and native instruments. Youth crew member Stanley said the community organizing presentation helped him learn about power-sharing, which he wants to use in the crew’s campaign to change school food. “If one person has too much power, the community will just feel uneven and everything starts crumbling. But when you share power, it’s better for everyone,” he said. Youth crew member Pablo said he’s excited to make a homemade, healthier version of common sports drinks using a recipe he learned at the conference.
|
| Collaborating with young activists from around Connecticut Earlier this month, our youth traveled to Hartford to meet youth from Hartford Food System’s Grow Hartford project. The two groups collaborated to design and tape PSAs (public service announcements) targeting youth and talking about the importance of eating healthy food. They’re planning another joint meeting at FRESH soon to complete the project. A three-year, $75,000 grant from the Perrin Family Foundation received this month is also helping FRESH build youth program capacity by offering monthly youth leadership training. A group of seven FRESH youth, staff and advisory board members participated in the first of these youth leadership training sessions this month. The training sessions will have them work with youth from organizations around the state.
|
| Getting creative with school food As part of their season-long campaign to learn about and change school food, youth crew members also continued monthly meetings with local school food directors. After directors helped them understand their financial constraints, youth said they were surprised to see how little wiggle-room school food budgets included. They've changed their approach to focus on changes that would still pack a big flavor punch, but cost less. Their suggestions include using seasonings to improve the taste of healthy food, making hearty soups and stews available on menus. They are currently researching recipes to offer to directors.
|
| | Spreading the word about FRESH Youth crew member Karen told her classmates in her English-as-a-Second-Language class at New London's Science and Technology Magnet High School about FRESH as part of a class project this month. In discussions about influence in the community, she was excited to talk about how FRESH influences the community to eat healthier, to help youth understand where their food comes from, and, with the campaign, to learn about school food. "We are influencing people when we are talking about our goal and when we are teaching people. We influence others to do what we do, to support us and eat healthy," she said.
|
|
| | On the chicks' first day at the farm, Junior Staff member Julie (left) and summer intern Karley give the chicks water and show them how to drink. The crew raised the chickens, and learned how meat goes from farm to table. |
| Raising meat, sustainably and ethically With FRESH’s big move on Nov. 9, the youth crew helped pack our old office and unpack our new one, then took the lead on making a delicious lunch for all the supporters and staff who helped in the move. Lunch included the chickens the crew raised, in their first foray into sustainable meat production. The crew raised 25 chickens from mid-August, when they came here as chicks, and took an active role in butchering and processing their meat earlier this month. The process was a first-time experience for all the youth, and uncomfortable for many –- some said they don't plan to eat meat any time soon. But the experience helped them understand where their food comes from. “You have to respect and cherish the animals you get your meat from. It’s an animal, a life that went into your food,” Junior Staff member Julie said.
|
| Getting the most out of our new space FRESH youth are using their amazing new resource, the kitchen, to try out their skills are preserving and preparing food. Last week Executive Director Arthur Lerner gave them a lesson in blanching and freezing greens. Last weekend, our youth had a cookoff using pac choy from our garden. Youth crew member Manouchka won the taste test, with pac choy cooked with onions, adobo spices and vanilla extract. The combination sounds weird, certainly -- Manouchka was among the most surprised at her win, she said -- but surprisingly tasty.
|
| | Bringing healthy food into the community A Reverse Trick or Treat session before Halloween had the youth stop at homes in the neighborhood around our new office, handing out greens and root vegetables to residents. At Community Day a week later, youth also spread the word about FRESH and handed out free veggies to everyone who stopped by.Youth Crew member Manouchka described the event as “madd poppin” and said she was proud that demand for veggies nearly sent FRESH home early. “We ran out of veggies and had to go get more,” she said. "Everyone was really into it."
|
|
|
| |
|
A special invitation: The FRESH open house! 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, at FRESH, 90 Garfield Ave., New London
Now that we've finally finished moving in, we're throwing open our doors to our friends, supporters and alumni. The open house will include a tour of our new space, lunch made by the FRESH staff and crew, and presentations from our youth on what they've learned about healthy eating and school food during the crew program. Help us celebrate our success -- we couldn't have done it without you!
|
| |
| Fundraising for new position progresses |
|
|
|
Supporters bring us closer to goal
|
|
This month (really, every month), we're thankful for our generous supporters. Appeals over the past month have brought in an additional $4,000 toward our goal of $60,000 to fully fund a new assistant director position for FRESH. We're now halfway to hiring a full-time assistant director. The position is designed to be sustainable and revenue-generating for FRESH, with a focus building development and relationship-building capacity.If you haven't come forward yet, please consider making a tax-deductible gift to FRESH's assistant director campaign before the year ends.For an update on the grants we've received, and on our progress with the assistant director position, check out our website. |
|
|
|
|
|
| | | Farm hibernates for a long winter What a great year for our farm! We harvested over seven tons of produce -- that's the most ever! It all went to the community, through FRESH's Mobile Market and donations to the United Way's Food Center and the Waterford Country School. Check out the statistics below. Thanks for all your support this year, and we hope to see you again in 2014!
|
|
| |
|
Our productive farm:- 15,000 pounds of produce was harvested this year
- 2,500 pounds of produce was donated to the Waterford Country School, where we have our farm, through a landsharing agreement.
- $4,200 worth of produce was sold at our mobile market this year, most at half-price. Whatever didn't sell each week was donated to the Gemma E. Moran Labor/Community Food Center.
- 75 families received fresh produce each week through our successful farmshare (CSA/Community Supported Agriculture) program
- 33 paid youth, all living in New London and surrounding communities, learned to grow and harvest healthy food
|
|
|
