California Food & Justice Coalition

:: March 2009 Newsletter ::

In this Issue:
::CFJC News and Events
::Grants, Scholarships and Fundraising
::In the News
::Take Action!
::Conferences and Workshops
::Announcements and Job Opportunities

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CFJC NEWS AND EVENTS
:: Raising Money for Urban Greening and Food Justice Projects: Join us for an interactive all-day training on how to take your emerging fundraising programs to the next level.. The training will feature: The
principles of a strong fundraising program, including who should be involved and how to engage staff and board members. How to identify prospective funders and how to build lasting relationships with them. The
training will take place on Thursday March 26, 2009 from 9:30- 4 pm in Los Angeles For More Info and to Register Contact: Heather Fenney at heather@cafoodjustice.org
<http://us.mc656.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=heather@cafoodjustice.org> or go to http://www.CAFoodjustice.org <http://www.cafoodjustice.org/>

:: CFJC FUNDRAISER: Thursday, May 7: Cool Cuisine. Join us or a night of critical discussion about the food system and climate change while you take an edible tour through the book Cool Cuisine: Taking the Bite
out of Global Warming. Chef and author Laura Stec will lead discussions on different issues addressed in the book while preparing a variety of seasonal, local, organic and sustainable foods. Menu includes: local
honey sparkler, a platter of California cheeses and roasted vegetables, pasture-raised beef tagliata on crostini with arugula and green peppercorn tahini, carrot-daikon canápes with black olives, international stir-fry over
grains three ways, and high-vibe ice cream with popping chocolate gomasio. Local wines will be served to complement the menu. $49 ($40 for coop owners). For more info and to register:
http://www.sacfoodcoop.com/pages/classes/class_reg.htm

:: CFJC welcomes new Steering Committee members. We are proud to introduce the newest additions to the Steering Committee:

• Rebecca Thistlewaithe, UCSC Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems http://casfs.ucsc.edu/
• Melissa Guajardo, California Center for Civic Participation http://www.californiacenter.org/
• Bill Ruth, Merced County Community Action Agency http://www.mercedcaa.org/
• Avtar Nijjer-Sidhu, Central CA Regional Obesity Prevention Program http://www.csufresno.edu/ccchhs/institutes_programs/CCROPP/index.shtml

• Ann Rojas-Cheatham, Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice http://www.reproductivejustice.org/

We are looking forward to working with these new members in shaping CFJC and achieving justice in the food system. For more info on the Steering Committee: http://www.cafoodjustice.org
<http://www.cafoodjustice.org/>
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Grants, Scholarships & Fundraising
:: Farm Foundation's 30-year Challenge Competition - The Farm Foundation is looking for promising public policy options and ideas. The policies should address the challenges agriculture may face in providing food
and fuel over the next 30 years. $20,000 cash prize. Deadline is June 1, 2009. For more information visit: http://www.farmfoundation.org/.

:: CANFIT Nutrition, Physical Education and Culinary Arts Scholarship CANFIT undergraduate and graduate scholarships are available for African-American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian-American,
Pacific Islander and Latino/Hispanic students studying nutrition, physical education, public health or culinary arts in California http://www.canfit.org/scholarships.html applications due March 31,2009!

:: Mo Projects Video Contest! . Open to California youth ages 13-18 who want to make a difference and improve the health of their community...and win prizes! The Mo Project wants to hear from you - what's working,
what's not working, and how to make it better regarding health and nutrition in your community. for more information visit http://moproject.com/mo/

:: Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program -- RFA released. $17.2 million available in 2009 for programs geared toward farmers or ranchers with less than 10 years of experience operating a farm. For
more info: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/fo/beginningfarmerandrancher.cfm
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In the News!
:: White House Breaks Ground on Vegetable Garden -- The Obama's will be the first family since the Roosevelts to plant a vegetable garden at the White House. "While the organic garden will provide food for the
first family’s meals and formal dinners, its most important role, Mrs. Obama said, will be to educate children about healthful, locally grown fruit and vegetables at a time when obesity and diabetes have become a
national concern". Read the fully NY Times article and view a blueprint of the garden here http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/dining/20garden.html?_r=1. Send a "thank you" to Michelle Obama or comment on the
garden: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

:: The Criminalization of Seed Banking: Hidden Inside Monsanto "Food Safety" Bills: Linn Cohen-Cole wrote a fascinating op-ed piece about the recent "food safety" bills that are attacking organic farms. Many of
these bills are driven by Monsanto, Cargill, ADM, the big meat packers, and giant surveillance companies. To read more: http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-criminalization-of-see-by-Linn-Cohen-Cole-090301-
82.html

::Tray Chic: From Fro-yo to Frisee- Mother Jones interviews Tim Galarneau, co-founder of the Real Food Challenge (and our ally). Galarneau talks about the economics of how to make local, organic food a dining
possibility on college campuses. Read the full article here http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2009/03/tray-chic-fro-yo-frisee and to read about The Real Food Challenge visit http://realfoodchallenge.org/

::Learning from Illinois: Local Food System has $30B Economic Stimulus Potential For State Economy: A statewide task force report delivered recently to the Illinois General Assembly presents a local farm-and-
food development strategy that experts say could lead to $30 billion in new economic activity every year, creating thousands of new jobs while revitalizing rural communities. To read more from the report go to:
http://www.agr.state.il.us/newsrels/r0304091.html

::The Spring Issue of Yes! magazine is devoted to local food and community food systems- The issue is filled with fascinating articles including " A Good Food Revolution" and "Everybody eats, How a Community
Food System Works" to read those articles a more http://www.yesmagazine.org/
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Take Action!
::Healthy Urban Food Enterprise Development Center (HUFED) Created through the '08 Farm Bill, HUFED aims to increase access to healthy affordable foods in underserved communities. HUFED will award $1
million per year for three years to non-profit organizations that win the competitive HUFED funds. HUFED is accepting comments until April 2 on how best to distribute funds. For further information or to submit
comments: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-4384.pdf

:: Food Safety Mania -- There have been a lot of mixed messages about HR 875 and the other food safety bills out there -- some advocates are advising us to call our representatives immediately
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/t/1128/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26714 <http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/t/1128/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26714> to express our opposition, and others to
wait and monitor changes in the bills. Everyone seems to agree that these bills are problematic and disadvantage small-scale operations. Here is a good description of the bills that are out there at the moment:
http://www.southcentralfarmers.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=375&Itemid=63 <http://www.southcentralfarmers.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=375&amp;Itemid=63>
. We will keep you posted as we learn more.

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Conferences & Workshops
:: Food Desert to Food Oasis: Join advocates, retailers, labor, and consumers in this summit to revitalize South Los Angeles through grocery store and business development. Participants will hear success stories in
community redevelopment and growth from around the country, learn about community involvement and hear retailers' perspectives. April 8 & 9 in Los Angeles, visit http://www.chc-inc.org/ for more information.

:: Hunger Action Trainings - Learn to speak out on hunger and poverty. A free training on how to educate your elected officials about Hunger in LA. For more information contact Frank Tamborello at Hunger Action LA
(213- 288-8228) or frank@hungeractionla.org <http://us.mc656.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=frank@hungeractionla.org>

:: Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability Workshop- a three-day seminar hosted by the Center for Ecoliteracy for educators and others committed to schooling for sustainability. To register:
http://www.ecoliteracy.org/seminars/index.html

:: Safer Alternatives to Pest Control in Agriculture. The conference will examine the public health impact of pesticides used in agriculture and the barriers growers face in choosing to use non-pesticide control
methods. UC Davis, May 28,2009. Registration is limited to 50 - visit http://www.coehce.org/ if you are interested.

:: FOODMED: The Third Conference on Healthy Food in Healthcare. Detroit, June 30th-July 1. Topics will include obesity and the food system, sustainable meat production, food waste management and more. The
conference is designed to help participants incorporate sustainable and nutritious food purchasing at their facilities, and learn cost effective strategies that emphasize health concerns. For more info:
http://www.foodmed.org/

:: The Community Food Security Coalition Seeks Proposals for workshop sessions at its annual conference in Des Moines, Iowa, October 10-13, 2009. Proposals will be accepted between March 16- April 30. For
more information visit http://www.foodsecurity.org/

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Announcements & Job Opportunities
:: McLean Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in Environmental Nutrition for the 2009/2010 academic year: The Loma Linda University School of Public Health recently announced this position which will focus on
research and writing. Applications are due June1. For more information go to http://www.llu.edu/llu/sph/nutrition/envnutr/

:: Roots of Change is looking for canvassing coordinators in the greater L.A. area and the SF Bay area. For more info: http://www.rocfund.org/

:: Edible School Yard's Organic Gardening Classes: Join Wendy Johnson (author of Gardening at the Dragons Gate) for a hands-on introductory series of the principles and practices of organic gardening. Each
session will incorporate working and learning. To learn more about the classes and to register go to http://www.edibleschoolyard.org/community-classes

:: SF's Alemany Farms to be recognized at Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center's 30th Birthday Bash. For more info: http://www.bhnc.org/hpEvent/40234612.html and for more info about Alemany
Farms: http://www.alemanyfarm.org/ <http://www.alemanyfarm.org/>

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The California Food and Justice Coalition is a statewide membership coalition committed to
the basic human right to healthy food while advancing social, agricultural and environmental justice.
We collaborate with community-based efforts in California working to create a socially just, ecologically
and economically sustainable food supply. We envision a California food system in which all activities,
from farm to table, are equitable, healthful, regenerative, and community-driven.

California Food and Justice Coalition

2530 San Pablo Avenue, Suite F, Berkeley, CA 94702
Phone: 510-704-0245
FAX: 510-548-8896
http://www.CAFoodJustice.org <http://www.cafoodjustice.org/>
email: info@CAFoodJustice.org