Salinas Valley Assemblyman Robert Rivas visited Veggielution Community Farm in San Jose on Wednesday morning on a tour of agriculture sites throughout the state and praised the 6-acre farm in East San Jose as a “model” for others.
“Clearly, in agriculture, things are changing in the state because of climate change,” said Rivas, who chairs the Assembly’s Agriculture committee and was joined Wednesday by San Jose City Councilwoman Magdalena Carrasco and fellow Assemblyman Ash Kalra. “We’re seeing more diversity in the ways we farm, and one of those ways is urban agriculture.”
And let’s face it, Veggielution is pretty darn urban. Taking up a corner of the 48-acre Emma Prusch Farm Park at the busy intersection of Story and King roads, Veggielution’s fields, gardens and buildings sit in the shadow of the flyover ramp from Highway 101 to Interstate 680.
But despite the constant hum of traffic noise, the nonprofit farm’s programs are growing as fast as its plants and vegetables. In the past six years, its annual budget has grown from about $400,000 to nearly $1 million, with most of its funding coming from foundations and about 30 percent coming from individuals and families.
Partnering with Spade & Plow, another Santa Clara County farm, Veggielution provides 200 farm boxes — which since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic also have included pantry items to families. Its Eastside Connect program’s food truck will provide 80 meals at the Gardner Community Center for the residents of two transitional housing hotels. And the on-site farmstand has drawn so many people to purchase produce and eggs on Saturdays that it’s now open Mondays as well. (Check out their programs at www.veggielution.org.)
Before the coronavirus struck, Veggielution had been ramping up its agriculture education programs, not just for adults but for middle school and high school students. And plans are in the works for an offshoot in downtown’s SoFA District, with a farmstand, garden beds and a food truck.
“Agriculture was always meant to be a hearth for the community,” said Veggielution Executive Director Cayce Hill. “At Veggielution, we’re able to introduce people from very different experiences to a working farm.”
That works both ways, too, as Veggielution is reaching out to San Jose’s diverse communities to find out what they should be growing, so habanero chiles and huacatay, a Peruvian herb, are grown along with tomatoes and corn. Veggielution also has partnered with 4H on a solar-powered composting system. Applied Materials brings its employees out to the farm every Earth Day, and the Rotary Club of San Jose is in the midst of a project to build new coops for Veggielution’s chickens (who are plentiful but not as ubiquitous as the peacocks that strut around the farm).
“There’s no reason East San Jose can’t be at the forefront of demonstrating sustainable practices and climate friendly farming for our state,” Hill said.
GOLDEN CELEBRATION: Congratulations to the Los Altos Art Docents who are celebrating 50 years of bringing arts education to elementary school students in the city. The group, founded in 1970 by Nancy Marston and Marlene Grove, hasn’t slowed down during the pandemic, either. The docents worked over the summer to compile art lessons on video that could be used in the classroom or at home.
As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, the volunteer-driven group held a logo competition for students from transitional kindergarten through sixth grade. The winning logo, alone with the other 98 entries, will be featured in “Young at Art,” an online art exhibition that will be online starting Oct. 22 at www.losaltoshistory.org.
SOOTHING SUCCULENTS: We can all agree that anything that reduces the stress levels of our healthcare workers is a good thing during this pandemic, and the Valley Medical Center Foundation hit upon an arty idea that does just that. It’s a “plant bar,” where employees at Santa Clara County Health System hospitals have been creating their own succulent gardens with colorful sand and rocks.
Provided by Little Shop of Horticulture, a Santa Cruz-based botanical design studio, the plant therapy has been a hit so far. “People are really loving this,” said VMC Foundation Executive Director Chris Wilder. “It’s so good when you can tell people are smiling under their masks.”
The plant bar was set up for employees at O’Connor Hospital on Monday and Tuesday and will be at Saint Louise Hospital later this week and Valley Medical Center next week.
