A partnership to grow and distribute food
When the Deviled Eggery was ready to launch its first programs, we had one simple (but big) problem - the property wasn’t ready for guests. With roofing and solar still in the installation phases, a lack of parking, a neighbor’s fence project underway, massive ankle-eating gopher holes everywhere, and a huge pile of unpacked moving boxes in the way, we needed a plan to hatch that didn’t require on-site access.
What if, somehow, we had a satellite program that introduced our commitment to community, but did not require in-person visits? What if we had a network of committed people who wanted to get involved? A quick brainstorm launched a creative solution: a network of local gardens that would unite for the simple cause of sharing and giving produce to anyone who wants it.
Food security matters deeply to us, and we’ve been incredibly inspired by the work of Petaluma’s Una Vida, a local nonprofit that provides food to hundreds of families every month. They leave ego aside and operate from a place of love and justice, service and solidarity. We’ve looked to them as models of how community organizations can thrive with strong volunteer networks. So, how could the Deviled Eggery be in service to an organization we admire so much? We can grow food for them!
We invited them to partner with us to create the Una Vida/Deviled Eggery Food Security Garden Network, a group of local gardeners who dedicate a part of their yard or garden to growing and donating surplus food to families who face uncertainty around accessing nutritious, healthy food. Within a month of proposing the idea to the community, we had two dozen families asking if they could grow, donate, teach, volunteer, or provide supplies, and we’ve been finetuning and expanding the program ever since.
With two garden leaders (Lamar Shahbazian and Elizabeth Sanders) donating time, leadership, patience, materials, and expertise, our own Deviled Eggery garden as well as our garden network is helping grow food for hundreds of families each week. Families have contributed apples, oranges, broccoli, tomatoes, herbs, salad greens, plums, onions, butternut squash, zucchini, blackberries, lemons, and more to Una Vida through this network. Big thanks to Cottage Gardens in Petaluma for donating plants and soil!
We’re always looking to expand this network, so if you have a garden with surplus, please reach out to us at https://www.deviledeggery.org/food-security-garden-network.