The Photo-of-the-Month shares a moment, highlight, or story to offer connection to the experiences at "Food, What?!"
december: Really moving award received Sunday night
FoodWhat honored to receive the 2018 Santa Cruz Community Farmers' Markets Partnership Award.
This partnership is really special to us and this was an incredible award to receive in community with 400 farmers and food folks. Please take a moment to read the award language:
"In recognition of your contributions to the regional agricultural community, the youth of Santa Cruz County and justice work at large, we offer you this award. The Farmers' Markets and FoodWhat?! first partnered in 2012, employing local youth in food systems positions and supporting them in their personal and professional development. Today we acknowledge and celebrate the transformation that takes place for youth in your programs. The graduates we hire from FoodWhat?! are wise beyond their age and demonstrate a unique focus on teamwork, honesty, kindness, connection and generosity. By listening to youth and integrating their ideas and experience, your programs stay relevant and addresses substantial inequities in our communities. Such reflection and accountability are rare."
Food and Farm Manager Mary Hillemeier and Executive Director Doron Comerchero
November: Just gratitude (and a short story from last week)
Thank you.
Last week we held our "GivingThanks" dinner with this year's crew. After an incredibly delicious and wholesome meal, we went around the long table with each of us offering what we're grateful for. One alumni shared "I'm thankful for this food and that I have a place to come back to no matter how long it's been."
May you always have a safe, meaningful, and nourishing place to turn to in your life and in this time.
With love and appreciation,
Doron, Kayla, Moriah, Irene, Bruno, Mary, Uriel, Puiyee and the FoodWhat Crew!
october: Something amazing happened in the earth today...
TODAY
Something really awesome happened this morning. FoodWhat hosted our annual Harvest Festival for a few hundred countywide students as we do each fall. We always set up a strong set of experiential, educational, and food-based stations for participants to dive into after they get to harvest pumpkins. This year, a number of youth spotted the UCSC Farm flowers in the field behind our event and went over to harvest a few to make bouquets. The UCSC folks gave us the green light and FoodWhat staff started inviting youth to go make bouquets if they'd like. While they were harvesting flowers (and making some strikingly gorgeous bouquets), some started picking leaves of spinach or digging up carrots to eat on the spot. Then a group of youth headed to the FoodWhat field and began harvesting our abundance of tomatoes, hot peppers, sweet peppers, more pumpkins...so we invited all participants and teachers to do so. These young people and educators connected organically, on their own terms, and with great joy, in pulling bounty, beauty and nourishment right out of the soil...and on the heels of yesterday's momentous sugar rush. None of this was planned. It was really something to see youth boarding their busses with armfuls of flowers and backpacks filled with veggies that they just harvested.
September: Goodbye, Summer
Summing up the Summer...
The FoodWhat Summer Job Training Program is when youth dive into critical job training, build deep and supportive community, radically change their diet, and push into their strongest selves. All this growth and change happens through the most basic of human needs--food!
(Check out some of our favorite highlights from an unforgettable season!)
We start off two mornings each week of the Summer Job with a game. Whether new ones, or classics like Capture the Flag, we begin each day this way not only to wake up and build community, but also to allow the youth who have had to take on adult responsibilities the opportunity to steep in the joy of play!
Junior Staff Aurelio dishing up lunch with Guest Chef Martin Madriz from The Green Waffle!
Each week, half the crew got to work with professional chefs from Watsonville to Santa Cruz to make an outstanding lunch for the other half of the crew.
Repping Santa Cruz County and the FoodWhat Crew at our regional youth empowerment and food justice summit in July!
Harvesting the bounty. Pride in work. Nourishing selves, family, and community.
Who said hard hard work can't be full of laughter and smiles?
Aurelio offering heartfelt gratitude to Programs Manager, Irene, for her immense support and contributions to his journey of growth and discovery of self.
When the end of the Summer Job arrived, we celebrated the way we know best--by making a delicious dinner for over 100 friends and families of the youth who successfully completed this big endeavor. The night was filled with sharing appreciations for each other and all who made the Summer Program what it was.
july: true love on the farm...
BEAUTIFUL BOUNTY
(Melanie holding her Family CSA share.)
Each week this summer, every youth in the Summer Job harvested a big bountiful share of produce they have been growing all season to take home and share with their family. One way youth connect the radical diet change they experience on the farm into the rest of their lives.
june: Happy First Day of Summer + Olympic Highlights
Hello Summer!
Pure Joy at the FoodWhat Farm Olympics!
Teamwork makes the dream work!
One week left of voting at New Leaf Community Markets to select the next round of nonprofits to receive benefits from their Envirotoken Program. Visit your local New Leaf and cast your vote for FoodWhat today!
Whenever you bring your own grocery bag at New Leaf, you’ll receive a 10¢ Envirotoken, which you can donate to one of six local nonprofits. Each month, they tally up the tokens, convert them into cash, and present them to the beneficiaries. FoodWhat is currently an Envirotoken option in the Downtown, Westside, and Capitola storesAND in the running to be in the next group of recipients!
Voting Ends June 30th!
june: Spring Internship
Wrap-up!
The FoodWhat?! Spring Internship has come to a close, and we are excited to share some highlights with you! Here's what the youth had to say:
"My favorite memory at FoodWhat would have to be when we made stone soup, because I feel like that dish itself brings people together and I remember that day that everybody was in the kitchen doing something. Even though Kevin said he hadn't washed his hands and it grossed me out, the soup was still good."
-Melanie, Tuesday Crew, Costanoa High School, Santa Cruz
"My favorite memory was creating the beds of soil out on the land and eating those sweet, juicy red strawberries."
-Alliah, Sequoia HS, Watsonville
"My favorite memory from FoodWhat was every time we would cook together and help each other and teach each other new things." -Lupita, Watsonville HS
Youth responses to the question "How would you explain FoodWhat to a friend?"
"It is a program that helps young people to focus on positive things. The farm, new plants, cooking and enjoying each other's company, and how we are respectful with each other." - Carlos
"I would tell them if you see a program and a team called FoodWhat, join it, because it's a lot of fun! You learn a lot about organic foods, you cook, and get an awesome experience." - Apolinar
High Five to that! We're excited to continue to work with many of these youth in our Summer Job Training Program which just started this week!
FoodWhat Staff Highlight!
FoodWhat staff Kayla, Bruno, Irene and Moriah showing up strong at Greenlining Institute's 25th Annual Summit for Economic Justice in Oakland!
Programs Manager Irene Juarez O'Connell accepting an award on behalf of FoodWhat from the Watsonville Chapter of the Future Farmers of America at their awards banquet at Watsonville High School last month.
May: Mason (FoodWhat Youth Staff) Receives 2018 Queer Youth Leadership Award
Congratulations, Mason!
(This is Mason. Mason uses "they/them" pronouns.)
FoodWhat Event Planner and Community Educator, Mason Franco, just received a 2018 Queer Youth Leadership Award (QYLA)! Mason won this award for their work at the intersection of gender and food justice. The QYLA is a one-of-a-kind event and significant recognition of four powerful and change-making countywide youth leaders.
Mason gave a moving and inspiring speech to the packed crowd at the award night.
"Food is what gives our bodies the nutrients to live another day. Thank you for all who have given their heart through food, and I will continue to do the same. "
-Mason Franco
Mason and their many achievements, including this award and their work with FoodWhat, was a recent Santa Cruz Sentinel cover story. Here is a snippet:
Q: Food What?! is what you're known for. Tell me about your work there.
A: I did a summer job (there) and it changed my life. I went to conferences all over and got inspired to get more involved with food justice work. Now I’ve done workshops all over the county teaching about nutrition and the fast food industry and how messed up that is.
Check out the full article HERE!
april: Junior Staff as National Organizer in D.C. Introducing...
Powerful youth voice
FoodWhat Jr. Staff, Aurelio Vargas, traveled from Watsonville to Washington D.C last month to join the national youth-led movement, United We Dream, to protect DACA recipients and advocate for a clear path to citizenship for the millions of immigrants living in the U.S. Aurelio was part of the actions that happened in front of the White House in early March. Here are Aurelio's reflections:
“The actions in D.C. brought out a lot of emotions. When we were chanting, It felt really powerful and healing to be out there. There are some things that are hard to think about at home, like the possibility of deportation and being separated from my family. When I was over there I saw how real that was for so many. We shared our stories with each other and built community. I felt liberated. It felt good to express my emotions and have them be part of something bigger.”
(For more information about the Santa Cruz Dreamers Project, email
santacruzdreamers@gmail.com)
Junior Staff and Event Planners Going Strong!
Junior Staff = superstar youth who went through FoodWhat's Spring, Summer, and Fall programming last year and are now coming back in peer-to-peer leadership roles with the new crew. It is our great pleasure to introduce you to (above, left to right) Evelyn, Ozzy, Eustolia, Iris and Aurelio!
Mason & Isabel
Abi
In 4 short weeks, FoodWhat will be hosting 300 middle and high schoolers from across the county to our Santa Cruz Farm for a jam packed day filled with youth-led workshops on nutrition and food justice, partner stations on everything from hydration to going to college, and hands-on activities from harvesting to bike powered smoothies to making pies. This inspiring and educational day revolves around the red, ripe, delicious strawberry. 2017 alums, Mason, Isabel, and Abi are leading the charge of every aspect of planning and implementing this big day!
march: "I don't like kale at all, but this is good!"
Here we go!
2018 Spring Internship Start
(Early March)
Just launched our 2018 Spring Internship with 5 crews of super energized youth from South and North County schools!
Chef Zhane (top left) shared as part of her "triumph" at the end of the day: "I don't like kale at all, but this is good!"
We had a strong start of programming for this year with an impressive collection of young folks. They got their hands dirty on the farm, made tasty food with each other, got to know the place, and collectively set the tone for the next few months. As we look forward to working with them this season, we look forward to sharing with you, so stay tuned!
Check out previous years' POTM below!