A local organization working to combat this issue through produce collection and helping you to grow your food to build up our community.
SAN DIEGO — One in four San Diegans deals with food scarcity in San Diego County, so a local organization working to combat this issue through produce collection and helping you to grow your food to build up our community.
The San Diego Botanic Garden isn’t just a pretty place; they are working to save the planet and feed our bellies in collaboration with Healthy Day Partners.
“I started as a; I’m just going to call it, as an unseasoned gardener, instead of a black thumb. And I love teaching people what I’ve learned from my research and trial and error and hopefully really help them succeed and kill fewer plants than I have killed,” said Mim Michelove, the CEO and President of Healthy Day Partners.
This organization is working to end local hunger by teaching people to grow food at home, in addition to improving public health.
Sponsored by the City of Encinitas, Michelove teaches the Grow Food – End Hunger – Save the Planet workshop at the San Diego Botanic Garden. In this class, Mim hooks you up with the knowledge and tools you need to get started or enhance your green thumb.
“A really beautiful set of gardening tools in a reusable produce bag. We’ll get seedlings, nope, seed packets, and a resource guide as well as a planting guide to help us know when to plant things, what is the right time to plant, and, as you said, a secret preservation process that I’m not going to disclose at the moment. You gotta show up,” said Michelove.
The workshop is not only about gardening tips. You’ll also get tips for living a zero-waste lifestyle, take a tour of the San Diego Botanic Garden’s Incredible Edible Garden, and learn more about a program called Homegrown Hunger Relief. Think of it as a donation station for excess fruits and vegetables.
Every Sunday, in the main parking lot, this green cooler is set up with ice packs and towels for produce drop-off, and the food goes directly to feeding agencies in the community. Over 15,000 lbs. of excess garden produce has been collected in less than two years.
“Somebody’s excess is bringing access to some, to children, seniors, active military and veterans and people who are truly food insecure,” said Michelove.
Since the workshop is sponsored by the City of Encinitas, your $10 deposit when you sign up for the class is refunded to you when you show up. The next class on Saturday, February 11th, is full, but you can sign up for future courses on the second Saturday for the next few months. They are from 10:00 a.m. to noon, and the maximum capacity for each class is 15 people.
You can sign up for the class by clicking here.
“Grow food – end hunger – save the planet, it’s as easy as that,” exclaimed Michelove.
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