Look at what we've accomplished together this year

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Dear Veggielutionaries: We have a long way to go in order to meet our fundraising goal of $10,000 by the end of the year. We can't do this work without you, so please consider donating what you can this holiday season and help keep your community farm running.

We've come a long way together, and we wanted to remind you of all that we have achieved in 2013. Read below for a list of accomplishments that were possible because of your help. 

Please donate today, and keep Veggielution thriving in 2014. Thanks!

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  • By the end of the year, we will have harvested over 55,000 lbs of food, over half of which was distributed for free or low cost through donations to volunteers, Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen, and through our low-cost Farm Box and Farm Stand.

  • We built 8 new farm buildings, including a farmstand, kitchen, packing shed, cooling shed, potluck pavilion and 3 new tool sheds. We also built 1 greenhouse and installed a huge new irrigation system. Through your generous support, we were able to purchase a New Kubota M5640 Tractor to cultivate our fields! This infrastructure and equipment will enable us to keep farming at Prusch Farm Park for years to come.

  • We grew over 34,000 vegetable plants in our greenhouses, most of which were used for planting on the farm. Over 4,700 plants were donated or sold at low cost to other community groups such as La Mesa Verde, Garden to Table, and many elementary schools.

  • We trained 24 new Workday Leaders as farm facilitators to help lead farmwork during workdays and provide a quality educational garden experience for every volunteer.

  • We planted over 100 fruit trees including citrus, pears and stone fruit. We also planted 450 native plants to add to our native hedgerows that attract beneficial insects to the farm, maintaining a healthy farm ecosystem.

  • Our Outreach Team completed over 40 presentations to schools and other community groups to get the word out and recruit participants for our various programs.

  • Saturday Youth Garden Activities engaged 282 parents and children, enabling children to learn about the soil, bugs, and the ecosystem that sustains us. During youth activities, children planted plants, made art, ate vegetables an had fun together in th garden!

  • We scaled up our Dig Crew to include 30 high school youth in our 8-week summer program. They planted and maintained an entire 1-acre block of the farm on their own! The Dig Crew participated in daily workshops on nutrition, environmental and social issues, and many other topics. They also received leadership and job readiness training.

  • We taught 600 students in our School Gardens at McKinley and Aptitud (formerly Goss) elementary schools. We expanded these gardens and improved them with more garden beds, perennial landscaping, irrigation and even a professionally designed mural.

  • Through the work of volunteers and our Promotoras, we ran 12 six-week Cooking Matters courses. Through this course we trained 185 Spanish-speaking community members on key nutrition concepts and ways to cook using less fats, oils and sugars.

  • Art in the Garden engaged over 500 participants, inspiring a love of art in young and old students alike and offering an additional way for people to enjoy the farm.

  • We added Free Monthly Wellness Workshops including Yoga and Zumba to help people get exercise, relieve stress and generally lead a healthy lifestyle.

  • Our Internship Program engaged over 20 interns to increase our organizations capacity while providing important work experience in the fields of horticulture, education, adminstration and outreach/marketing.