In agriculturally rich Yolo County, children in several of its communities suffer from food insecurity, poor
nutrition and obesity. In 17 of Yolo County’s high-poverty elementary schools, the percentage of socioeconomically disadvantaged students ranges from 50% to 96%. Low-income families are most vulnerable
as they tend to eat processed foods high in salt, sugar and fat – leaving children undernourished as well
as obese. As a result, these children may be less successful in school.
WHO WE ARE
Yolo Farm to Fork is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that is:
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currently supporting 30 edible school gardens in Woodland, Davis, and West Sacramento;
dedicated to bringing locally grown farm-fresh food to school lunches;
providing garden- and farm-based education to elementary students; and
reducing waste through recycling and composting programs.
We know that kids love to eat what they grow. We want kids to develop a taste for healthful eating – and
to help Yolo County residents get to know where their food comes from and the farmers who grow it.
Our programs include Kids Dig It!, Davis Farm to School, Taste Our Garden and Futures:
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Kids Dig It!
Kids Dig It! supports edible gardens in every Woodland elementary school interested in sustaining a
garden learning environment. This program provides seeds and plants, weed control bark, mulch, and
grant opportunities so Woodland kids can eat what they grow, learn where good food comes from, and
develop a taste for local, healthy produce. The Woodland Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees
has adopted a resolution in support of Farm to School programs.
Yolo Farm to Fork | www.yolofarmtofork.org | (530) 219-5859 | [email protected]
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Davis Farm to School
Davis Farm to School creates an educational and cultural environment that connects food choices with
personal health, community, farms, and the land. We support DJUSD in providing farm- and gardenbased education, increasing farm fresh foods in school meals, and reducing solid waste through recycling
and composting programs. More than half of the produce in Davis school lunches comes from Northern
California growers. The partnership with school gardens brings even more locally grown food to school
cafeterias.
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“Taste Our Garden” and “Futures”
To cultivate children’s taste for fresh, healthful produce and engage them in learning experiences that
gardens offer, we are helping to increase and sustain the number of edible school gardens in Yolo
County. We recently awarded 16 schools in West Sacramento, Woodland, and Davis with garden grants.
The funds provided supplies, technical assistance in planting and growing, coordination of garden
activities, and coaching to help connect garden learning experiences to classroom instruction.
OUR TOP PRIORITIES FOR 2014-2015
Our priorities are geared to bringing fresh, local produce to children and families despite barriers of
poverty and food insecurity. We hope the ultimate impact will be a future generation of adults who are
better nourished and who value the gardens and farms that provide their food. Goals include:
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Sustaining Kids Dig It!, Davis Farm to School, Taste Our Garden and Futures
programs that bring the benefits of edible gardens to school sites and helping schools improve
their gardens.
Yolo Farm to Fork | www.yolofarmtofork.org | (530) 219-5859 | [email protected]
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Expanding our programs. We plan to expand school garden grants with the inclusion of UCD
interns as garden mentors, which could include classroom learning and/or cooking classes.
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Building our organization capacity to bring Kids Farmers Market (KFM) to schools in Yolo
County serving low-income populations. We plan to partner with the Yolo County Food Bank,
which currently operates KFM, a free weekly after school program incorporating nutrition
education, physical activity, and a produce market specifically for kids. Over the course of an
hour, kids have the opportunity to exercise, learn about fruits and vegetables, and select up to
10 pounds of produce to take home.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
The benefits of our programs are far-reaching. With lessons that are experiential and interconnected,
children will learn the importance of keeping their bodies and minds healthy, what it takes to bring food to
their table, and community-building skills and lessons of stewardship of the land. By building programs at
the community level, we support our mission of educating the public, and especially children, about a food
system that values and cherishes each aspect of the farm-to-fork cycle.
People often assume that we are a well funded county agency. But we aren’t. We are a private nonprofit
organization with a small, community-based budget (no federal or state grants) and a few dedicated and
passionate consultants and volunteers. The generosity of our supporters allows our work to grow
and thrive – and directly impacts how many children our programs reach.
You can contribute to the mission and programs of Yolo Farm to Fork in a variety of ways. Our donors are
people like you, interested in giving back to our community. We partner with people and organizations for
our programs and events, and also appreciate in-kind gifts. Additionally, we are primarily a volunteer
organization and welcome your contributions of time, energy and expertise to advance our programs.
Please contact us to learn more about how you can help!
YOLO FARM TO FORK CONTACTS:
Beth Harrison, Executive Director
(530) 574-6722 (cell), [email protected]
Suzanne Falzone, President
(530) 666-2203, [email protected]
Yolo Farm to Fork is a non-profit organization under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) and our tax
ID number is: 68-0254919. Donations are fully tax-deductible.
Yolo Farm to Fork | www.yolofarmtofork.org | (530) 219-5859 | [email protected]