California Food & Justice Coalition

:: December 2008 Newsletter ::

In This Issue
:: Funding and Grant Opportunities
:: Obama names Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture
:: Publications & New Releases
:: Hunger In the News
:: Media that Matters – the Story of Stuff & Maya Wiley Speaks on Food and Politics
:: Training, Workshops & Seminars
:: Member Announcements: events, alerts, and more . . .
:: Job Announcements

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Fundraising & Grant Opportunities

:: Interpreting America's Historic Places: Planning Grants Interpreting America’s Historic Places grants
support public humanities projects that exploit the evocative power of historic places to address themes
and issues central to American history and culture.. Grants support planning that leads to the interpretation
of a single historic site or house, a series of sites, an entire neighborhood, a town or community, or a larger
geographical region. Awards typically do not exceed $40,000. Due: January 28,
2009.<http://rs6.net/tn.jspe=001o8RYRo98SEDGaE4e_tqYTbos4wfccIVPrEM5aWyALuYOS5pjGLbpZXSg
Vw3BXg14T6ve3BSVGFMrn5zTVbzFPtepZOXrCGFnd_TppYhNeSFX0NC1cqzHNhCJCbbY8zJmcmyQyY
6Ty4pGRgQ5Oog8xAm2HrxyCFW> >

:: The Horace Mann Companies are offering $30,000 in scholarships for public and private school K-12
educators to take college courses. Eligible applicants must be a K-12 educators currently employed by a
U.S. public or private school planning to enter a two- or four-year accredited college or university and have
at least two or more years of teaching experience.
http://www.horacemann.com/resources/scholarships/default.aspx

:: Recruit Paid Volunteers through AmeriCorps AmeriCorps State provides grants in order to train and
provide volunteers to non-profit and community programs. Learn more @
http://www.americorps.gov/about/programs/state.asp

:: Allen Foundation Promote Human Nutrition in the areas of health, education, training, and research. The
Foundation's grant making priorities include: nutritional education for mothers during pregnancy and after
the birth of their children, training for educators and demonstrators of good nutritional practices, and the
dissemination of healthful nutritional information. Application Deadline: December 31st. Visit
https://www.allenfoundation.org/ to take the eligibility quiz and submit an online application.

:: Sierra Health Foundation Commits $1 Million for Safety-net Services In response to the economic
downturn and resulting demand for basic human needs, such as food, clothing and shelter, Sierra Health
Foundation has committed $1 million for safety-net services through its Responsive Grants Program.
Qualifying nonprofit organizations and public agencies that provide these services and need assistance
may apply for up to $25,000 by noon on Jan. 15, 2009. Sierra Health will hold a conference call on Jan. 8
from 11 a.m. to 12:30 pm for potential applicants. Although participation on the call is not required to apply
for a grant, it is encouraged. More info at: http://www.sierrahealth.org/doc.aspx?129

:: Funding for Heir Property Initiative: Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Douglas
Faulkner announced that $230,000 in funding will be made available to develop pilot programs addressing
the “heir property” issue, which has contributed to an ongoing, multi-generational trend of land loss by
African-American farmers. Nonprofit organizations may apply for cooperative agreements of up to $20,000.
Proposals are due January 5, 2009. More info at:
http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=JLhXS11jybGv1j8bTJ4D21vyJ8j2n51LQFdFTK41Zh
GtP1lPn1FB!-1081719837?oppId=44342&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW

:: USDA’s Risk Management Agency announces $3.5 million to support a wide range of innovative
educational outreach and assistance activities in farm management, financial management, marketing
contracts, crop insurance and other existing and emerging risk management tools, directed to limited
resource, socially disadvantaged and other traditionally under-served agriculture producers (i.e. American
Indians & Alaskan Natives, African Americans, Hispanics, Women, and Asians & Pacific Islanders). The
purpose of the program is to fund projects that provide targeted producers with training and information
needed to understand: 1) The agricultural risks addressed by using existing and emerging risk
management tools; 2) The features and appropriate use of risk management tools; and 3) How to make
sound risk management decisions. No maximum or minimum funding levels have been established for
individual projects or geographic location. Projects will be for a period of up to one year. Closing Date:
FEBRUARY 13, 2009 by 5 p.m. (EST) Please read the announcement for specific requirements
Application materials can be downloaded from the RMA website:
http://www.rma.usda.gov/aboutrma/agreements/. Contact Sandy Sanchez with questions at 530-792-5890

:: Celebrate good work! Recognize leadership! Inspire others! Nominate a business, service organization or
individual for a People Helping People Award. The People Helping People Awards recognizes socially
conscious businesses, outstanding service organizations and individuals for their commitment to
community service and improving the quality of life in the Sacramento Region. Deadline for nominations is
January 23, 2009. More information @ http://www.communitycouncil.org/

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCHOOL GARDENS!

:: Annual Intel Schools of Distinction Awards recognize U.S. schools that implement innovative, replicable
programs that inspire their students and lead to positive educational outcomes in the areas of math and
science. A garden is a great place to integrate math and science, from the way plants grow to math
measurement for recipes. The awards program is open to K-12 public, private, charter, and parochial
schools in the United States, Department of Defense Dependents Schools, and Bureau of Indian Affairs
schools. Complete RFP @ http://www.intel.com/education/schoolsofdistinction/index.htm

:: Unsung Heroes program helps K-12 educators and their schools fund innovative classroom projects. If
you or someone you know is a K-12 education professionals is looking for a way to make a school garden
possible but does not have the resources, this may be a great opportunity. Learn about application process
@ http://www.ing.com/us/unsungheroes
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Obama names Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture

Last week President Elect Obama announced former Governor of Iowa, Tom Vilsack as his pick for
Secretary of Agriculture http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/12/17/america/transition.php. Amid calls for
drastic change (a national petition generating tens of thousands of signatures in support of progressive pro-
local/smallfarm/sustainable candidates) many are disappointed that Obama would nominate Vilsack who is
a supporter of corn based ethanol and has strong times to agri-business. Others are hopeful noting
Vilsacks support for commodity payment limits and increased funding for conservation and nutrition
programs. Read more about what people are saying.....

* The Institute for Agriculture comments on the appointment of Vilsack here

http://www.iatp.org/iatp/press.cfm?refID=104854 "President-elect Barack Obama’s nominee for Secretary
of Agriculture Tom Vilsack must quickly shift the agency’s focus toward stabilizing volatile agriculture
commodity prices, improving market competition, supporting sustainable farming systems and encouraging
the production of healthier food, according to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP)."
* Maybe Vilsack Wont Suck says Huffington post reporter "I honestly don't know what to make of the
Vilsack nomination, so I asked Denise O'Brien, the organic farmer who ran for Iowa's Secretary of
Agriculture in 2006, to share her invaluable Iowan insights. O'Brien confirmed what Donahue asserted in
her HuffPo piece -- that Vilsack is a politician who actually seems to listen"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kerry-trueman/maybe-vilsack-wont-suck_b_152242.html
* Memo to the Obama transition team - The Prevention Institute and Policy link have written a memo to
the Obama transition team which identifies concrete actions for the new administration to improve the
nation’s health, reduce health disparities, and prevent disease while saving money and stimulating the
economy. After giving it to the transition team they have released the memo to the general public.
http://www.preventioninstitute.org/documents/HealthyPeopleHealthyPlaces.pdf
* Organic Consumers Association has launched an on-line petition to oppose Vilsack’s Senate
confirmation http://www.stopvilsack.org

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Publications & New Releases

:: Community Food Issue Handouts in English and Spanish -The Community Food Security Coalition and
World Hunger Year have created three handouts designed to inspire people to learn more about
community food issues and take action, and to link them up with local organizations. The three handouts
are available online in PDF in both English and Spanish. Their themes are "Community Food Security:
Growing Healthy Farms, People, and Communities," "Your Community, Your Food: Seven Ways to Get
Healthy Food into Your Community," and "Good Food we Can Afford—Today and Tomorrow.” English:
http://www.foodsecurity.org/handouts.html Espanol: http://www.foodsecurity.org/handouts-es.html
:: Bringing People Back Into the Economy. - Vandana Shiva, one of the leaders of the slow food movement
writes a compelling argument linking the climate crisis with the current unemployment crisis. The two issues
are intimately linked and can not be addressed independently of one another she argues. "To make the
energy transition beyond oil, we need to bring people back into the economy, bring human energy back into
production, respect physical work, and give it dignity,". read her article here
http://www.ecoliteracy.org/publications/vandana_shiva.html and check out other essays by prominent
leaders in the field.

:: California Institute for Rural Studies has released three reports:

1. An Assessment of the Demand for Farm Workers Housing and Transportation in Mendocino County –
looks at the housing and transportation needs of farm workers in Mendocino County. While this study
covers one area of CA the results reflect a wider issues and is a valuable tool to all those interested.
http://cirsinc.org/Documents/Pub0808.1.PDF.
2. Factors Associated with Deregistration Among Organic Farmers in California – A look at why CA
farmers are deregistering from CA’s certified organic program. Spoiler alert! The findings reveal that CDFA
deregistration figures do not accurately reflect actual numbers of producers who have stopped farming
using organic methods. Read how the farmers you buy from are being impacted by the California law.
http://cirsinc.org/Documents/Pub0308.1.PDF
3. If We Don't Speak, Our Voices Won't Be Heard: Organizing Farm workers through Poder Popular A 3-
year evaluation of The California Endowment's Promotores Communitarios de Salud Strategy, a grassroots
education and mobilization strategy for improving community health in agricultural communities. This brief
provides preliminary findings from this evaluation. http://cirsinc.org/Documents/Pub1008.1%28Brief%29.pdf

:: The Organic Whole Farm Planning Workbook which is a companion volume to the earlier released
Transition Guide to Certified Organic Crop Management, guides the user through developing a holistic
transition plan and producing a completed Organic Farm Plan required by certifiers. Organic Whole Farm
Planning Workbook is $20; A Transition Guide to Certified Organic Crop Management is $15. To order & to
get more information, contact Kathy Bielek, phone 330-202-3528, email bielek.4@osu.edu

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Hunger In the News
From Hunger Action Los Angeles

:: California Farm Workers Go Hungry: Tracie Cone, AP reports that “Idled farm workers are searching for
food in the nation's most prolific agricultural region, where a double blow of drought and a court-ordered
cutback of water supplies has caused hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.” The San Joaquin Valley
town of Mendota is struggling with a 40% unemployment rate. 600 farm families went for help to the local
food bank, which had to turn away 100 of them — for the first time. "We're supposed to supply the world,"
said Mendota Mayor Robert Silva, "and people are starving. The state's most dire water shortage in three
decades is expected to erase more than 55,000 jobs across the fertile San Joaquin Valley by summer and
drive up food prices across the nation, university economists predict.”
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/dec/14/hunger-in-the-california-heartland/

:: Restaurant Penalizes Food Waste: Kirstin Cole of CBS reports on a Japanese restaurant in New York
that charges 3% additional for food that you waste. “The manager told CBS 2 HD the main motivation for
the charge is to eliminate waste. And cost. "Tens of billions of dollars are wasted each year on food that is
purchased and not eaten," said Joel Berg of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger.
http://wcbstv.com/seenon/food.waste.charge.2.882636.html

:: Food Banks Innovate: Katie Zezima in the New York Times reports how : “From Canned Goods to Fresh,
Food Banks Adapt”: “No longer simply the domain of canned corn and peanut butter, food banks are
preparing ready-to-eat meals, opening their own farms and partnering with institutions as varied as local
supermarkets and state prisons to help gather and process food. They are also handling much more fresh
produce, which requires overhauling the way they store and distribute food…. In central Florida, teams with
laptops and food stamp applications are going to food pantries and signing up people for the program. The
teams are also notifying people that they may be eligible for an earned income tax credit and other
government services. “ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/us/10foodbank.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

:: Mayors Report Rise in Hunger, Homelessness: Hunger and homelessness increased in 25 major US
cities according to the annual US Conference of Mayors report:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5io4mzMo1evKp8SZv4213Dm44TXdA

:: One Billion Now Hungry in World, Most in Just Seven Countries: Javier Blas in the Financial Times
reports that “The food crisis has pushed the number of hungry people in the world to almost 1 billion, in
what the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization described as a "serious setback" to global
efforts to reduce mass starvation.” The vast majority of the world's undernourished people live in
developing countries. Interestingly, according to the FAO, 65 per cent of these live in only seven countries:
India, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Ethiopia. (Maybe
not surprising if you consider that China and India together have one third of the world’s total population).
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c20b66e2-c562-11dd-b516-000077b07658.html

:: One in Ten Americans are on Food Stamps - read more http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/One-

Ten-Americans-Now-Uses/story.aspx?guid=%7bE108E16C-EA02-4E4B-BBF3-CD5B5AEF0B47%7d

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Media that Matters

:: Don’t Just Give People Stuff this Holiday Season While its is easy for all of us to get caught up in the
holiday wave of present giving and blowout sales, it is also important to take a step back and think about
what all this stuff we are buying is doing to our planet. This holiday season lets remind ourselves that
happiness does not come from stuff, but from the riches of community connection and empathy for our
planet and its living creatures.

* The impact of consumption is bigger and more complex then it may seem at first glance - take a look at
the story of stuff: http://www.storyofstuff.com/international/
* A helpful tip to help consumer less: Shoppers buy approximately 30 per cent more items when they
shop with a big cart than if they don’t.

:: Maya Wiley of the Center for Social Inclusion http://www.centerforsocialinclusion.org/index.html on food

and politics http://sipa.columbia.edu/news_events/multimedia/videos/sipa_politics_of_food_844_wiley.html
:: Online Tool Mapping Local Food Security from Sustainable Agriculture Initiatives and SAI Platform - an
online geographic mapping tool of sustainable agriculture and healthy value chain initiatives worldwide.
This tool is still in development, and welcomes submissions of new projects. The records are searchable by
location, issue, responsible company, or crop. You can compare food security issues and see how the US
matches up against other countries in the world. http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001o8RY-
Ro98SHZk0zuKeyls1VxcD54Azz7uIcBVSoLD399hBO-FiJb34Ktu_yNEFnCyePTDeLKKdXq8uLDAc-
FJeTwd1PZt_leLXKjtdKBkKrGGyLeQBNwZyB_bSsovRn9Cj-tW8KKC-H1qOiKwZ7agw

:: Media That Matters: More than a festival (and inspiration for CFJC’s newsletter), is taking film
submissions. Media That Matters is the premier showcase for short films with big messages. Submit your
film now for the chance to be one of the final twelve jury-selected
<http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/submit/> films and become part of our outreach and distribution
efforts to create social change through film. Following a New York City Premiere, Awards Ceremony and
industry networking events in June 2009, your film will take part in the Media That Matters international,
multi-platform campaign with DVD distribution, broadcasts, streaming and hundreds of screenings across
the globe! They create accompanying discussion guides and screening materials to promote conversation
and encourage educators, activists and organizations alike to Take Action around your film.

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Training, Workshops & Seminars

:: Skills-Building for Nonprofit Managers and Leaders course - Take an intensive three-day training that
covers the key content areas needed by senior-level nonprofit managers to more effectively manage a
nonprofit organization in today's environment. If you are an individuals interested in furthering your career in
the nonprofit sector, an aspiring executive directors or someone who wants to brush up on there own skills
in the new year this class may be for you. January 16, 23, & 30, 2009 l San Francisco, CA visit
http://www.compasspoint.org/onevent/details.php?id=2782 to learn more

:: 2009 GROWING POWER – GROWING FARMERS COMMERCIAL URBAN AGRICULTURE TRAINING

PROGRAM -The program is designed for individuals who have made the decision and are ready to begin
their farming enterprise in the city. The training program will be focused on individual’s unique needs both
during the on-site training, and in one-one contact in the months between the in-person meetings. to learn
more about the program contact katie@growingpower.org

:: Three-Day Native IDA Training and Free Technical Assistance the Native IDA Initiative will offer a
national training in Albuquerque, NM to help Native organizations start, implement, and sustain Individual
Development Accounts (IDAs) in their communities.
http://www.firstnations.org/default2.asp?active_page_id=229&top=77 for more information

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Announcements
:: ACGA is hosting its 30th annual conference - join with other gardeners and garden enthusiast to learn
who are engaged in all aspects of gardening and greening. This will be a great opportunity to network and
learn more about topics that interest you. for more information visit
http://communitygarden.org/learn/training/annual-conference.php

::The 7th International Public Market Conference -Markets play a vital role in our access and availability to
local healthy food. It directly supports our farms and provides the buyer with healthy and delicious seasonal
foods. First class speakers from the Bay Area, the US, and around the world will be on hand to deliver
lectures, workshops, and more. Interested in attending? visit
http://www.pps.org/markets/info/market_conference for more information April 24-26.

:: The UC Berkeley School of Public Health is proud to announce the launching of the new Center for
Health Leadership-You are invited to attend the inaugural conference this Spring 2009 entitled "Leading
Change and Innovation.".For More Information: Visit http://sph.berkeley.edu/cphp/chl.html in January2009.

:: Eco-Farm Conference, 'Eco-Farm' brings together 1600+ farmers, activists, gardeners, food policy
makers, writers, and sustainable food system thinkers. Registration is now open. For more information,
visit: http://www.eco-farm.org/index.php/efc January 21 - 24, 2009

:: Start your own compost pile in San Francisco! Garden for the Environment is hosting a free class on how
to start and maintain your own compost. January is a great time to start .To pre-register, please call (415)
731-5627, or email info@gardenfortheenvironment.org.

:: Twelfth Annual Network for a Healthy California Conference “Inspiring Healthy Change Together”
Network projects, partners, and others will gather in Sacramento on March 4-5, 2009. Come together for
two days of inspiration and ideas as we collectively focus the spotlight on perspectives and actions that
lead to positive change. More information available here
http://networkforahealthycalifornia.net/2009Conference/

:: PlacerGROWN Food and Farm Conference. February 7, 2009 in Lincoln, California. The day-long event
includes workshops for beginning farmers and livestock producers, as well as sessions on marketing,
interns and the business of farming more information at:
http://ceplacer.ucdavis.edu/2009_PlacerGROWN_Farm_Conference/

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Job Announcements

:: Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund are seeking a part-time Community Organizer to be based in
the Stockton CA area to organize communities on issues related to drinking water and public health.
Interested individuals should send their resumes to Miriam Gordon, California State Director at
mgordon@cleanwater.org

:: The Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association is seeking energetic, dedicated professionals to serve as
Regional Managers for its network of Certified Farmers' Markets in the Bay Area.
The full listing is posted on our website: http://pcfma.com/abjobs.php#regional apply before January 12,
2009.

:: Agriculture and Land Based Training Association (ALBA) is looking for a Farmer Support Services &
Stewardship Program Director. Based at the Rural Development Center, the Director of Programs will have
primary responsibility for overseeing the management of ALBA’s two incubator/demonstration farms and
ensuring the delivery of high quality farmer support services through ALBA’s diverse programs. Current
programs that this position will oversee include: Small Farm Incubators, Ag Education, Stewardship,
Community Food Systems, and Business Education. More details at: http://albafarmers.org/index.html

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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
LA Office: 310-591-4017
Berkeley Office: 510-704-0245
FAX: 510-548-8896
http://www.CAFoodJustice.org
email: info@CAFoodJustice.org