Digging In
Collective Roots inspires a new wave of organic gardeners...
by Veronica Sedekum, April 16, 2008, Palo Alto Weekly
Enlightening the sometimes mysterious process of where food comes from and how it gets to the plate, East Palo Alto Charter School is doing more than serve fresh vegetables at lunch.
An Oasis in a Food Desert
A community mobilizes to launch its own farmers' market
April 16, 2008 Palo Alto Weekly
East Palo Alto hasn't had a supermarket within its borders since the early 1970s, but it does have two McDonalds — just 1.5 miles apart. Other dots on the fast-food map are a nearby Pizza Hut and Taco Bell Express.
To buy fresh produce, residents have to travel outside the city's boundaries or depend on the limited selections on corner stores' shelves.
About Collective Roots
The mission of Collective Roots is to develop young urban leaders who understand where their food comes from and how their actions impact human and environmental health.
We accomplish this by working with youth and adults to design and sustain organic gardens for learning and healing, offering nutritional education, and providing project based education that is integrated into the core needs of schools, communities, and environments.
San Mateo County Health Department Supports East Palo Alto Community Farmers' Market
April 14, 2008
To Whom it May Concern,
I offer my strong support for the establishment of an East Palo Alto (EPA) Farmers' Market.
Access to healthy foods is a key strategy in reducing childhood obesity and other health consequences associated with unhealthy eating such as diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. We commend the EPA Farmers' Market Organizing Committee’s initiative to establish a farmers market in a place where residents have no grocery stores and limited access to healthy, affordable and fresh produce.
Farmers Market Set to Open
Seven vendors will sell produce weekly. June 1 is going to be a very green day behind St. Francis of Assisi Church on Bay Road in East Palo Alto. That Sunday will mark the launch of the city's first weekly farmers market, the culmination of an eight-month effort by a handful of people to bring fresh produce to East Palo Alto, which hasn't had a supermarket for about 30 years.
The city council heard a brief update on Tuesday night from the market's manager, Cornelia Fletcher, who said she and her partners have a tentative list of seven vendors who will offer a variety of vegetables, fruits, berries and nuts. The key, she said after meeting, is to start off small and give participating vendors a chance to sell their products out.
New Study Links Local Food Environments and Obesity and Diabetes
A new study, Designed for Disease: The Link Between Local Food Environments and Obesity and Diabetes, was released April 29, 2008. This landmark study by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, PolicyLink and the »
All You Can't Eat
In the 'food desert' of East Palo Alto, a local farmers market wages a battle against obesity and near-starvation
"I have to spend my Sundays plotting which grocery stores to hit," says Lettecia Rayson, a lifelong resident of East Palo Alto. "I have to travel outside the city just to find a Safeway where I can get regular produce."
7th Grade Garden Class Reflections, East Palo Alto Charter School (2008)
On March 6th, 2008, the 7th Grade Garden class at East Palo Alto Charter School came to a close. Over the course of the 14 weeks, the students focused on nutrition in the classroom and on cooking and working in the garden. Here are some of the reflections that students wrote:
“In Garden Class,
We Need PLANTS!
Collective Roots needs your support--Spring is coming and we have hundreds of students who are hoping to have the opportunity to plant in our school gardens. Please consider supporting us by donating plants, seeds, or funds to purchase plants. You may bring donated plants (or seeds) to East Palo Alto Charter School, located at 1286 Runnymede Street, East Palo Alto, California, or make a donation by clicking here.
Help Establish a Farmers' Market in East Palo Alto
Saree Mading, Board Member of Collective Roots and Administrator at East Palo Alto Charter School, has written an amazing letter about Collective Roots' initiative to develop the East Palo Alto Community Farmers’ Market.
