In the past weeks and months Farm Discovery has planted, irrigated, weeded and worked several acres of beans, strawberries, greens like kale and lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and more. During a normal year, the produce harvested from these fields would be used with hundreds of kids per season in nutrition lessons, cooking, canning, pickling & farming projects and more.
Since we won’t be able to hold our on-farm programs per usual, part of Farm Discovery’s evolving plan is to grow and distribute organic produce to Santa Cruz and Monterey County residents that are experiencing lack of food access during COVID-19, through Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes pantry program, Encompass Community Services Transitional Age Youth program and Holy Cross Food Pantry.
Things may look a little different than the way it once did here on the farm, but we are still dedicated to empowering youth and families to build and sustain healthy relationships with food, farming, social and natural systems. Our goal is still to reach out to all segments of the community with an emphasis on low-income, diverse, and underserved populations of the Pajaro Valley. We work to transform personal and community health and improve our impact on earth.
Farm Discovery will continue to increase and improve food access in the surrounding counties that need it the most, and in the meantime, wait for the kiddos to return for more on-farm fun!