Community Food Project Partners Update
Oklahoma Sustainability Network's Community Food Project Grant Major Partners Update
Spring/Summer 2008
Global Gardens
Global Gardens has expanded their operation in the first half of grant year 1 (September 2007-September 2008). They now operate gardens at both Eugene Field Elementary School and Rosa Parks Elementary School in Tulsa, OK. Their programs include both in-school classes and after-school gardening programs, integrating the garden into various academic subjects. They also have an 8-week summer program starting in June. In addition to expanding the garden sites, Global Gardens has also expanded their staff, hiring 2 full-time garden educators, 1 for the Eugene Field site (Lindsay Smith), and 1 for the Rosa Parks site (Annie Ferris), hiring a Public Relations Coordinator (Ayschia Saiymeh), and adding a new internship program with their first intern starting this summer.
To learn more about Global Gardens, please visit their website and/or their Blog to read blog entries written by the students involved in the program or read stories about them from the Tulsa World and the March 2008 issue of Tulsa People
Global Gardens' Website
Global Gardens' Blog
Tulsa People Website
North Tulsa EATS
North Tulsa EATS (Empowering Access Teaching Sustainability), a project of Newsome Community Farms, has been able to expand their program throughout the first half of the grant year as well. North Tulsa EATS currently has 5 gardens they operate at various sites in the North Tulsa area, including a Senior Garden, a School Garden (at Alcott Elementary School), a Church Garden, a Daycare Garden, and an On-The-Farm Garden. Training sessions at the various garden sites have included seasonal planting, tilling, cover crops, famine and food insecurity, and canning techniques. North Tulsa EATS has also expanded their assistance to help the Brady Heights Community Garden and the Kendall-Whittier After-School Garden Project.
To learn more about the North Tulsa EATS project, please visit Newsome Community Farms’ website or watch the YouTube film series on Newsome Community Farms (Episode 1 focuses on the CFP community gardens of North Tulsa EATS with Episode 3 highlighting some of the garden sites they are assisting).
Newsome Community Farms' website
For the You Tube Films on Newsome Community Farms, search for Newsome Community Farms on YouTube
Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture
The Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture is working to expand food stamp acceptance at farmers’ markets in Oklahoma, is learning about other state’s Famers’ Market Nutrition Programs to help develop a state plan for implementing a Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program here in Oklahoma, is helping teach farmers’ market managers, producers, and board members by providing training sessions at the Horticulture Industries Show in 2008, and is helping Sustainable Green Country implement the first Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign in Oklahoma, Buy Fresh Buy Local - Green Country.
For more information on Buy Fresh Buy Local Oklahoma efforts, visit the Kerr Center's webpage dedicated to Buy Fresh Buy Local in Oklahoma.
Sustainable Green Country
Sustainable Green Country is the lead organization for Buy Fresh Buy Local – Green Country, the first Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign in Oklahoma. In addition to making presentations and having informational booths at various events around the state, Sustainable Green Country has created the documents and databases necessary to help spread the word on where to access local food in the community. The first publication created for 2008 is the Green Country Farmers’ Market Guide providing information on the various farmers’ markets available in an 8 county area in northeastern Oklahoma. Sustainable Green Country is finalizing the 2008 Food Guide containing information on farmers’ markets, u-picks, local food markets and farm stores, the Oklahoma Food Cooperative, restaurants and caterers using local foods, and direct from farm sales across a wide-variety of items in northeastern Oklahoma. This groundwork will be shared with the Buy Fresh Buy Local team working to take this program to Central Oklahoma next year.
For an electronic version of the Green Country Farmers’ Market guide or to get more information on Buy Fresh Buy Local – Green Country events and announcements, please visit Sustainable Green Country’s links listed below.
Farmers' market guide
BFBL - Buy Fresh Buy Local
