YFMP will be the beneficiary of Midtown Global Market’s Chili Cook Off being held this Saturday from 12 to 2 pm. A $3.00 suggested donation – all of which goes to YFMP! – will get you samples of chili throughout the market. Bring your friends, your family, your neighbors and spread the word. YFMP sure is lucky to have a great partner like the Midtown Global Market! The Market is located at the Corner of E. Lake Street and 10th Ave. S. We hope to see you there this Saturday.
Last Friday Lyndale had its second session of programming with LNA’s Latinas de Lyndale en Liderazgo (LLL) program. Through the LLL program Latina women in the Lyndale neighborhood learn community organizing skills through taking action on a community issue. Since its inception last year, Youth Farm has provided quality programming to the women’s children during program sessions.
The group of us had a blast together on Friday night. We played tag at Painter Park, picked up trash around the neighborhood while flyering for a new ESL program, and celebrated Dia de Los Muertos with a potluck and frosting our own colorful sugar cookies.
The program is a great partnership between LNA and Youth Farm and is another example of how we’re building relationships across our hood. At the end of the three and a half hour program all the kids were talking about wanting to come back the next day!
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While everyday at Youth Farm is a “food day,” Monday also happened to be Food Day everywhere! Food Day, sponsored by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, ”Seeks to bring together Americans from all walks of life…to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way.” The Powderhorn Youth Farm spent their evening class on Monday celebrating Food Day, all without leaving their neighborhood. First we visited Oakland Farm neighbors Derek and Aaron to check out the clay oven that they have graciously offered us to use this week to make wood-fired pizzas made with local ingredients.
From there we walked to Oakland Farm where we had snacks, played games, and made our Food Day poster.
Lastly we walked across the street to Park Ave United Methodist Church, which was hosting a major Food Day event sponsored by the City of Minneapolis. Youth Farmers broke off into groups to talk to Food Day attendees- including neighbors, city officials, and more- about what role healthy food plays in our lives. Food Day was a wonderful chance to connect with our neighbors to talk about and celebrate healthy food. A big thanks to all the Youth Farmers and community members who turned out to make Food Day in our community a success! |
On Thursday, October 20, Mayor Coleman of St Paul visited Youth Farm in Frogtown. Mayor Coleman rode the Frogtown circulator to the farm with neighborhood youth from the Boys and Girls Club and the Hallie Q Brown Center as part of the Sprocket’s out-of-school time network Lights on After School event. Mayor Coleman played a name game with the youth, and planted garlic at the farm. Over 40 youth attended the event. Youth played games, harvested greens and radishes, planted fall crops, painted signs, and learned about compost.
Mayor Coleman at the farm in Frogtown
This last Monday the Lyndale LEAD kicked off their school year internship. Over the school year our LEAD will meet together over twenty times to do lots of planning and skill development. The Lyndale LEAD staff plan farms and food distribution, community events, and programming. Over the year the LEAD develop leadership, organizing, and youth work skills.
Our meeting this Monday was devoted to trainings on Youth Farm’s goals and program strategies and the roles of LEAD. The rest of the fall will be devoted to reflecting on food justice, planning our farms and distribution, and developing a new role as lisasons to Lyndale community partners. This year we have eleven amazing LEAD staff in Lyndale with 46 combined years of experience in Youth Farm!
Give it up for Anisa, Hamdi, Niani, Nazeem, Yanelli, Rahma, Liban, Deqa, Jade, Maddie and August!
Last Friday, Youth Farm celebrated its first harvest from its newest farm in Frogtown. High school students from Twin Cities Academy harvested eight and a half pounds of lettuce, arugula, and mustard greens. The harvest was distributed to neighbors around the farm and community partners. The growing season is still going strong in Frogtown; the farm is still producing salad greens and radishes.
Students harvest arugula in Frogtown.
Youth Farm All Stars in Hawthorne Neighborhood, kicked off fall after school programming for Youth Farm this last Tuesday afternoon. The All Stars prepared a meal, consisting of veggie pesto penne pasta, salad using all Youth Farm grown veggies, and baked apple crisp.
Youth also began brainstorming ways to get more involved in their community. This fall, Hawthorne All Stars will be touring various urban farms in Minneapolis, helping prepare community meals, constructing a compost bin for a nearby community garden, and helping plan for next year’s growing season. Check back for updates from Hawthorne as we continue to grow this new program!
Two Hawthorne All Stars pose, taking a moment from cleaning currant cherry tomatoes for the meal's salad.
Last week four Youth Farm neighborhoods hosted over 90 first-year Macalester students for “Into the Streets,” a day of community service for new students. It was the most volunteers to ever descend on Youth Farm in one day! Across our Minneapolis and St. Paul farm sites students were building farms, harvest produce, and putting beds to rest for the winter. Our sincerest gratitude to Macalester College’s Civic Engagement Center for organizing the event and being great supporters of YFMP. Below are a few photos of a group farming in Hawthorne.
On Saturday, August 27, Youth Farm broke ground on its newest farm site in the Frogtown neighborhood in St Paul. Volunteers from the community and friends of Youth Farm worked together to dig and plant. Early this week, the first seeds sprouted!
Volunteers, friends, and community members work together to build a farm.Mustard greens sprouts in Frogtown
Questions about the farm or program opportunities in Frogtown can be directed to Beth Ringer, Frogtown Program Director, at 651-325-6550 or beth@youthfarm.net
