“We may start to see some fruits this fall and by spring there should be plenty”, said Larry Dodson about the 16 blackberries that the UC CalFresh led team just planted at the Community Settlement Association (CSA) in Eastside Riverside. Larry is a Master Gardener with UC Cooperative Extension and he is taking the lead to help with the fruit tree planting project that is funded by the mini-grant from Wood Streets Green Team. Master Gardener Fortino Morales and Claudia Diaz Carrasco, the new 4-H Youth Development Advisor were also there to help out, along with three moms from the neighborhood. Claudia is looking into starting a 4-H Club at CSA for youth in the after school program. In addition to the blackberries, the group also planted quince, pomegranate, lemon and lima (also known as sweet lime), all donated by Larry.
As part of President Janet Napolitano's UC Global Food Initiative to “help the world learn to feed itself in ways that are healthy and sustainable in the use of resources”, UC Cooperative Extension Advisor Chutima Ganthavorn and UC CalFresh educator Emma Sandoval have been working to develop a community garden at CSA since March 2014. They teamed up with Nancy Johnson, another Master Gardener with UC Cooperative Extension, to start a CSA Garden Club. The club meets on every second Thursday of the month from 9:00-10:00 a.m. and offers gardening and nutrition workshops to the parents of youth in the afterschool program and people in the neighborhood. Barbara Hanna, CSA Director, said that CSA's emergency food program distributes food up to 190 needy families per day three days a week. Produce from the garden would provide the community with more access to healthy foods. Anyone interested in helping with this project, please contact Chutima Ganthavorn @ 951-683-6491 or email cganthavorn@ucanr.edu.