Our Community Health Fair

By: Joanna Farias and Teresa Munguia                                                     Every year, All People's Community Center hosts a health fair for the community.  Each time, our class (Central High School) does its best to participate.  This year the health fair had a wide variety of booths to inform the community about the many resources available in our area.  There were many services offered such as free dental screenings, health demonstrations, and free food. The gym was packed with people of all ages from children to the elderly.

We were responsible for teaching our community about the garden that we have been working on for over 3 years. For example, we started by presenting a display of sugar cubes, as well as different types of junk foods including sodas, energy drinks, and candy.  We then led visitors in a guessing game: "How many sugar cubes do you think are in this soda?" When we show them the amount of sugar, many people exclaimed: "WOW!"

We asked them: "Would any of you eat this many sugar cubes? Everyone responded, "NO!" So instead, we gave them practical and healthy alternatives to make at home like homemade fruit water or "agua fresca." We wanted them to feel in control of what they consume by preparing good snacks at home. Afterwards, we led them outside on a tour of our beautiful garden.

The Blessings of Gardening

Hey :) My name is Tatiana but I go by Tati. I'm a student attending Central High School in the Mar Vista Gardens. In my everyday life, gardening wasn't really something that interested me. When I actually began to garden at school and with AFSC, I became way more fond of it. We grow so many plants to beautify our garden, and our pond and waterfall just adds to the beauty and peacefulness. We've been planning over the weeks to convert the frame of our pond and transforming it into a tile mosaic.

We plant according to the season. We usually plant in our raised beds things we can harvest like lettuce, celery, jalapenos, broccoli and even herbs like cilantro and oregano. Not too long ago did we just that, harvest everything we had in our garden and cooked it in class.  We ended up making a bison stir fry, everything except the meat came out of our garden.

The benefits I get through gardening is a much better eating habit. I have been eating much more organic food and it hasn't been coming out my pocket daily - its been coming out the garden. My classmates and I also benefit from the garden in other ways. We have gained a greater appreciation for teamwork,we have better communication skills, and most of all we have gained much more respect for each other. When someone needs help, we will stop what were doing and lend a hand it helps the process move on smoother. Gardening has built relaxation in my system and has built bonds with my classmates. I can't think of anything better to do.

Food Program

Working with AFSC has been an exciting and rewarding experience. I have enjoyed every minute of it.  As an intern, every day seems to bring new experiences.  From working at Lincoln High School, visiting Mar Vista, and going to All People’s Community Center, there is always something new to do and people-centered adventures are around each corner.

At every site, there are students being taught the value of leadership, nutrition, and gardening. However, one of the major projects I am involved with is at All People’s Community Center. Students are now joining the center in an effort to give families insights for utilizing nutritious food and healthy recipes. Every week, the All People’s Community Center passes out an assortment of fruit and vegetables to give to the families in the community.  This year, students will not only helped pass out the food, but they developed tasty and unique recipes from the fruit and vegetable bags that are given away to the community. Students not only get to cook, but they create and write recipes to be shared with community members.

About the Intern

Hello! My name is Jenny Campbell and I am the current intern at AFSC. I am attending Azusa Pacific University and am majoring in Global Studies. Global studies has allowed me to spread my horizons and has encouraged me to move to action. Therefore I strive to be in a constant state of learning, collecting and archiving all sorts of information. I strongly believe in the power of community and the strength within each individual.

 It has been my first time working with a nonprofit organization and I have loved every minute of it. Though my experience here has been varied, as we get to work on many different projects, my main focus during my internship has been teaching students how to cook. Together the students and I have been creating vegan recipes to share with the community! This experience has taught me so much and allowed me to develop different skills I have. From here, I hope to continue my travels and pursue my interest in the nonprofit world! 

Cal State LA Student Volunteer

Hello! My name is Nicole Altamirano and I am a student at Cal State Los Angeles. This January 2013 I became involved with AFSC through my History course titled Modern Mexico and the Chicana/o People. The course pays particular attention to food, power and culture in Mexicana/o communities across the U.S./Mexico border. Our Professor, Dr. Enrique Ochoa, provided the class with two options for our term project: a community engagement project and a food history project. I chose the community engagement project because I was eager to learn more about community gardens and food justice, two concepts that were new to me.       
So far I have contributed to two cooking sessions, an environmental racism exercise, and three gardening sessions at Lincoln High School.  I often find myself drawing connections between these sessions and what I have learned in class. For example, in our CSULA class we discussed the narrow scope of primary and secondary school curriculum and I feel the Roots for Peace class is serving as a supplement to Lincoln High’s program.  Students are learning skills such as gardening, reading food labels, how to make healthy choices, and cooking, all of which have been omitted from traditional curriculum. Lincoln High has also undergone severe budget cuts which further reduced the previously limited variety of classes available to students.  

Gardens in the Projects

My name is Elmo, Hambrecht Family Intern for AFSC in Los Angeles; and for the last three months I have been moving forward an idea that started with a vision, a classroom and a struggle. While attending Central HS in the Mar Vista Gardens Housing Projects, I built a school garden with my fellow classmates.  We called it "The Heart of the World." That vision expanded into seeing every residential unit in the Mar Vista Housing Projects having a garden plot too. 

We have begun our process by creating a relationship with the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles  to allow us to grow our vegetables; one step closer to self sustainability.

Three weeks ago we had our first Gardening Workshop, with a turnout of twelve residents and help from Milagro Allegro, Master Gardener. It was exciting to have residents take the gardening workshop and show an interest in having their own gardens. We will hold our next meeting soon. Residents and those who participated will be updated on our process.

As we continue to work toward the vision we once talked about in class and hoped to see in our community - we must wait patiently, but we will not stop. The students at Central have begun their seedlings for this season and the next. Preparation is steadiness and steadiness is readiness.

Little Gardens Have a Big Impact in South LA

In February, LA Streets Blog writer Sahra Sulaiman, visited the family garden built with help from AFSC at the All Peoples Community.

The little boy tearing through the hallway at the All Peoples Community Center pulled up abruptly when he spotted Crystal Gonzalez, the Peace Education Coordinator with American Friends Service Committee.

"When are we going to do the garden class? he asked excitedly, jumping up and down. "I want to do the worms again!"

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