Tuesday, August 13, 2013

El Cajon Community Garden!

The city of El Cajon finally got city council approval to begin its very own community garden and this last Saturday was the official grand opening! Spearheaded by the International Rescue Committee and Kaiser Permanente San Diego, the garden is incredibly exciting for the entire community. Over 120 people gathered to celebrate the Roots Fresh Farm Community Garden and break ground on the fourty-one expected garden plots.







The IRC has long supported community-based farming initiatives such as this. The IRC in San Diego's Food Security and Community Health program creates innovative and sustainable projects that increase healthy, locally-grown, culturally-appropriate foods for and by San Diego's refugee and low-income communities. The New Roots Community Farm provides growing spaces for 85 families in the heart of City Heights. The Pauma Farm (where we've worked many times) serves as a farmer training program to help refugees turn farming into a business. And now El Cajon has a community garden for its own!   




You can read more about the grand opening in this Union Tribune article or like the International Rescue Committee in San Diego's facebook page for photo-updates on the garden as it takes root and grows!

All photos are courtesy of the IRC San Diego