Many of you have generously given to our Care Share program. Years ago when Nigel came home from his first round battling cancer at UCSF, we quickly realized how important the nourishing food from the farm was for his recovery. Because of that, Nigel and I decided to donate 10 CSA boxes, weekly, to people fighting serious illness, and asked our members if they had friends or family members who could benefit. We asked you to help connect us with people, but very soon into it, many of you offered to donate and help support even more people.
As the Care Share program grew we expanded it to donating boxes for seniors at the Portrero Hill Neighborhood House, and we donate to classrooms that have cooking programs. I have personally seen how most kids will eat vegetables they would never consider touching, when it is presented to them with a connection to the farm and they play a part in cooking it. For these kids our Care Shares make a real difference. Today I wanted to share with you what The Cooking Project has been doing with their shares. Thank you all for being so generous, and don’t forget, if you know someone who could benefit, please let them know about the Care Shares. If your child’s class has a cooking program, let them know they could receive a box for free.
“We at The Cooking Project have been so fortunate to partner with Eatwell Farm! We have been receiving a CSA box every week filled with organic fresh produce which we incorporate in each cooking class within our "Flavors of Asia" program series at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. We've cooked down fresh bunches of bok choy and radishes in our noodle dish, used the plump heirloom and cherry tomatoes in our Chicken Afritada (pan-fried chicken stewed in a tomato stock), and even experimented with using fennel in our comforting bowls of Sinigang with pork (tamarind based soup) - all of which came from the fresh pickings of EatWell Farm's CSA box for the week.
Another added bonus, is that we've been able to share the produce we didn't use in our classes with our students, all eager to take home bundles of chard, sweet potatoes, mint, or baskets of tomatoes to cook with their families and apply what they have been learning. We emphasize how it is important to know where your food comes from and how it is grown, supporting local family farms, and cooking/eating in season. We try to keep our program as accessible as possible to under-served youth, and the CSA shares from EatWell Farm help us keep costs down, as well as provide an incentive for our students to keep coming to the class. Food is truly the gift that keeps on giving!”