Food Forward - August 12

SHARING ABUNDANCE WITH THOSE IN NEED

Learn how you can help provide fresh fruits and veggies to the hungry in your community! Food Forward is a Southern California based non-profit that recovers produce from backyard fruit trees, farmers markets and LA's downtown wholesale market and then donates 100% of what is collected to local hunger relief agencies. 



Food Forward not only battles hunger in Southern California but also works to curb the environmental issue of food waste. Recent studies have shown that 40% of the food in the country never makes it to the table and 20% of what goes into municipal landfills is food. Southern California is an abundant land of agriculture and donating surplus food to the 1.28 million food insecure in LA county is a win-win!

Since forming in 2009, Food Forward has collected over 40 million pounds of produce, which has helped to feed 150,000 clients a month through more than 300 diverse distribution partners across Southern California.

Sign up to volunteer at https://foodforward.org/volunteer/sign-up-to-volunteer/.

Food Forward hosts 150+ volunteer-powered events per month so, whether you'd like to pick fruit or go to the farmers market with us, there are many opportunities to contribute to our efforts in providing nourishing fruits and veggies food to those most in need. 

FREE SEEDS

The Master Gardeners are taking a Thanksgiving break, but seeds will still be available at the Green Tent, so stop by and get your fix.

Rainbow Chard - Easy to Grow, Easy to Cook

Just a heads up, the Mar Vista Farmer's Market will be closed next month, on the fourth Sunday, December 24. The Master Gardeners look Forward to welcoming you back to the Green Tent on January 28, 2018.




To all of our loyal supporters and visitors, have a joyous and abundant holiday season! 

Mar Vista Art Walk November 25

This holiday season the Mar Vista Art Walk joins the Mar Vista Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Saturday event for an American Express sponsored ALL-DAY bonanza on Saturday November 25. 

                     

Created as a means of improving the walkability of our neighborhood, The Mar Vista ArtWalk is a fun, FREE celebration of all the arts.  More walking = fewer cars + less greenhouse gas + better health! 

On Saturday November 25, the 1-mile stretch of Venice Blvd between Inglewood Bl – Beethoven St. will be transformed by its current theme, GRATITUDE.  Yes!  Our wonderful, eco-friendly, environmentally conscious and economically supportive neighborhood has inspired us to celebrate YOU.

A Kids Carnival, live kid rock bands, staged sKool Kidz readings and exhibition, carolers, live painting, art installations, experimental video and live music will encourage neighbors to get out and walk our streets. 

The Mar Vista Art Walk is a joint effort of environmental nonprofit Green Communications Initiative (GCI) and the community of local artists, the Department of Cultural Affairs, Community Partners, Earthstar Creation Center and the M & R Vest Foundation, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Michelle Pine Rappoport-KW Realty, and the support of CD-11 councilmember Mike Bonin, Mar Vista Neighborhood Council, and Mayor Eric Garcetti’s “Great Streets” Initiative.

Garden School Foundation, November 12, 2017

This Sunday at The Green Tent, the Garden School Foundation will be making newspaper pots and planting cool season crops. Bring the kiddos by to cultivate a new generation of self-sufficient gardeners who can grow their own food !

The Garden School Foundation stands as the premier model of garden-based education in Los Angeles. After 7 years at the 24th Street Elementary School in West Adams, they’ve developed not only a thriving, organized, beautiful, and sustainable garden classroom but a comprehensive curriculum that speaks to the particular needs of schools in under-served communities. Since 2003, they’ve been turning asphalt into ecosystems, working to create a healthy, educated and aware future generation that care for their bodies and for the earth. GSF’s Seed To Table (S2T) program, which is comprised of K-5 year-round curriculum, operates in six Title I elementary schools and their new Greenhouse Program teaches vocation-based curriculum to students with developmental disabilities at Widney Career and Transition Center.   

GSF holds Community Garden Days every month at their various sites, providing a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together and volunteer in one of their school gardens. Please visit their website if you are interested in participating on a Community Garden Day. You will also find details for their Greenhouse Seedling CSA Program and news on their amazing expansion into 10 new schools providing teacher training workshops! Check out their website for more exciting things happening at The Garden School Foundation. 

Learn more about Garden School Foundation's work in our LA Weekly Article and Video and how we help 2,500+ little chefs and gardeners around Los Angeles grow and eat veggies everyday!