Food Security Initiatives at the Deviled Eggery
By guest writer Soneile Hymn
The Deviled Eggery works in four areas of community need, and food security touches on two of them—sustainable agriculture and social justice. To that end, the Eggery has three projects in the oven that support food security: two that are still in their infancy and one that is well on its way. All three offer ways for community members to become part of the Deviled Eggery’s initiatives.
With an abundance of level farmland, available irrigation water, and a community of growers, Sonoma County Agriculture is diverse - producing everything from fresh eggs, fruits and vegetables, to wool, meats and dairy products. However, despite this abundance, more than one in three residents in the county struggle with food insecurity, meaning they cannot consistently afford three healthy meals a day. This is higher than the state average. Food insecurity is growing at alarming rates, disproportionately affects Black and Latino households, and has far-reaching implications, from chronic health issues to an individual’s ability to attend school.
Inflation has compounded the issue by driving up food prices. With limited donations and a consistently high demand for food assistance, it is challenging for local food banks to meet the need. Redwood Empire Food Bank is serving about 124,000 people a year, having more than doubled in the last five years, while also suffering a shortfall of over 1.3 million dollars. Given these challenges, the Deviled Eggery has prioritized food insecurity as one of its core action areas. Our three programs working on this issue are:
The Food Security Garden Network - our most developed of the three initiatives - is in partnership with Una Vida and is in its second year. The network provides bi-monthly delivery of produce and flowers to the Una Vida Tuesday Market, which distributes free food to anyone who shows up - no paperwork, no forms, no judgment. We have donated a total of nearly 1,200 pounds of fruits, vegetables, and herbs!
The Deviled Eggery Garden Network offers an opportunity for members to learn and bond over the shared experience of growing food. Through work parties and ongoing activities, gardens are planted, nourished, harvested, and replanted with the support of our community. Click here to learn more about the network and how you can become involved.
Wicked Chickens (because wicked chickens lay deviled eggs) is a hat tip to the Deviled Eggery’s roots; in the 1970s it was a restaurant and gathering space for musicians and other eclectics and had over 20,000 chickens! The program, still in its infancy, is an idea (with a catchy name) to share the pleasure of chicken raising and the joy of local, healthy, non-factory-farmed protein with local kids and their families. It aims to support schools and other child-focused organizations interested in raising chickens sustainably. What it needs is a Mama Hen to lead the group to action. If you are passionate about happy, healthy chickens and sharing that passion with youth, maybe you would like to help invigorate our group as we start brainstorming ways to support local agriculture in our schools. Go to https://www.deviledeggery.org/volunteer to tell us how you’d like to get involved - but be ready for action, we don’t cluck around.
Our Food Equity Group is the Deviled Eggery’s newest project and aims to unite community partners to reshape our public school’s food supply chain with a “farm to school” approach. It is looking into supporting Petaluma schools in integrating nutrition lessons into curriculum, improving access to and desire for nutritious foods, and creating a model that can be shared with other schools through grantmaking, creative programing, and strong community partnerships. The group includes experts in regenerative land management, teachers, farmers, gleaners, organizers, and activists. Our roster boasts organizations such as the winner of the Northern California Public Media Food and Wine Award for the Best Regenerative Farm Deep Roots Farm, Community Land Shepherds, Una Vida, and Farm to Pantry. We recently convened a meeting with these partners as well Petaluma City Schools and other community members to tour the award winning farm and learn about Chris Herrera’s regenerative practices, as well as to begin brainstorming how our group can support the farm to school supply chain. If you belong to an organization that would like to join or support our Food Equity Group, please email deviledeggery@gmail.com and let us know! We are looking for writers, organizers, teachers, farmers - people who care about nutrition, schools, and organizing.
Food insecurity and the lack of access to affordable, nutritious food are associated with increased risk for multiple chronic health conditions, including mental illness and learning disorders, worse sleep, less physical activity, and lower performance in school. It impacts our most vulnerable community members. Food security is a basic need in our community and we hope you will join the Deviled Eggery as we engage in our efforts to end it.