RCC URBAN FARM: WE NEED YOUR STORY

We were in the first cohort of garden plots here, and it was a great link to RCC and the community interested in farming and food. I also work on the Food System in Riverside, and the garden was a part of that as well. It is an asset to RCC's students who are food insecure.

I’m in favor of the community garden.

During the 2016 Green Festival & Summit, the garden served as a demonstration area for speakers and a great place for community to learn about steps to become a little more food-secure. I believe that every college needs a place to foster growing food, habitat & engagement. As a student at UC Davis I had a garden area where students learned about hands-on botany, agriculture, grafting, genetics, etc. Why not at RCC?

I got into gardening in 2014 in order to practice sustainability and to have a better connection with the food I put into my body. I’ve had the pleasure of becoming a student mentor for the urban farm since spring of 2019. I’ve learned so much not only from the former farm managers but also from my fellow coworkers and the awesome volunteers that take the time to work the farm. Participating in the weekly harvest and distribution were by far the best part of being a part of the farm, there’s no greater reward than to be able to give back to the students, faculty, and community members that appreciate the mission of the farm. I saw different types of people with all kinds of backgrounds and academic paths who wanted to help and be a part of the farm as well. The space is for everyone and anyone regardless of having an interest in plant biology, the space goes beyond that focus and expands into a social and community benefit for all. I do hope that the future space caters to both the academic and community aspect of the space.

My first experience with local community gardens was through RCC Urban Farm in 2014 with the Riverside Food Co-op plot. We were advocating not just for local food but for the stronger community that comes from growing something meaningful in cooperation with others. I was personally inspired by Preston Galusky's dedication, and eventually worked with veteran garden managers to form the nonprofit Riverside Garden Council, because we absolutely love the spirit and generosity of such spaces. We support those stalwart residents who are attempting to carve out new community gardens. We support the community gardens that still thrive. To lose any one of these extraordinarily human places truly, madly and deeply weakens Riverside.

My journey at RCC began as a volunteer at the community garden. My son and I would come on Sunday mornings and tend to the plot held by the Riverside Food Cooperative, an organization I was fully entrenched in at the time. I really enjoyed the sun on my back, the cool earth in my hands and the warm smiles greeting me every week. The best part was getting to take home and share the unique varieties of fruits and veggetables from that weeks harvest. I was more grateful than anyone knew for being able to have quality ingredients to tinker with. I didn’t realize it then but it would become the place where I would solidify my calling, where I would learn to work outside my comfort zone with others for common goals to build community, where I would find tremendous healing and where I would make lifelong connections and friendships. I am now an RCC Alumni, a Chef and small business owner. My time at RCCG started on the massive coattails of the garden founders as they were on their way out and looking to pass on the torch. I had big shoes to fill but was honored to be able to carry on what they started and took on the responsibility of the Student Sustainability Collective president, a challenge I took seriously. I ran with the mission of the garden and immediately began to work on ways I might bring people together and foster and build community. I was fortunate to be able to work alongside countless RCC Faculty members including Dr. Tonya Huff and Professor Preston Galusky who were the consistent, humble and tireless stewards of the garden, Riverside City government in collaboration with the Green Festival, various student groups and clubs on campus including B.S.U., Associated Students, Photography Club, Astronomy Club, as well as collaborations with San Bernardino Valley College, Art Club, Interclub Council, U.C.R. Center for Sustainable Suburban Development, U.C.R.’s R’Garden, the USDA’s Riverside Corona Conservation District, social and environmental justice g

When I began working with the City of Riverside we participated in an earth summit at RCC campus and that was the first time I had been to the garden. It was so enjoyable for the attendees and when I later learned that students were able to secure fresh produce from it made it all the more exciting to have such a great resource in our community. For it to go away would be a loss to the students and take away from the ‘capacity building’ aspect that neighborhood gardens foster.

I was at RCC when the initial idea of a community garden started and was able to support it through its execution. This small, but impactful project brought people from all ages and backgrounds to work on a common mission. This was an integral part for many of the students, staff, and community members to put all differences aside and be a part of the growth at RCC. The learning module that many were able to implement in their clubs, classrooms and community presentation was strong enough to motivate other schools to adopt similar projects. This has also inspired communities across California to implement neighborhood gardens uniting communities. This garden is and should always serve as a symbol of RCC, but more importantly, of Riverside. Recognizing and preserving this garden and its community will further exemplify what it means to be community at RCC.

I am a graduate of RCC and Tayna Huff's environmental science class and the RCC community garden are the reason I became involved with sustainability causes and the importance of being good stewards of our land food and environment.

I support all urban and rural gardens. They are important environmentally, for teaching, for the community, and for producing food and flowers. Keep this one as a community project.

I am a Forensic Clinical Social Worker. Much of my education has focused on poverty, race, and food insecurity and how socioeconomics and food access can contribute to the development, prevention, and management of mental health conditions. In my current position, close to 89% of my caseload is comprised of clients who don't have access to nutritious meals and have a food-related illness. The quality of their mental health is contingent on the quality of physical health. Dietary changes and access to healthy foods make a tremendous difference in their lives. When I was at RCC, I was part of the initial group of students who wanted to start a community garden on campus. Using a sustainability model (e.g., looking at the social, environmental, and economic impacts) was a significant component in our creation of this space and its mission. Although I appreciate the willingness of the new garden administrators to say that they will maintain the garden's use for students and community, there is no guarantee that this will happen. I feel that the initial purpose of the garden will be lost, watered down, or avoided altogether. I would like to see the administrators put together a more comprehensive plan that allows for student and community programming of the space as initially intended.

The Urban Farm at Riverside City College is essential to student development and success across disciplines. A greenhouse is a good idea for student interaction with a subject/topic however, I believe there are better suited locations off campus for this purpose. I believe that both the Urban Garden on campus and a greenhouse off campus can give students more options on how to approach their education and how to achieve their educational goals. For example the off campus eatery that Culinary students are able to ply their trade and increase their skills in their given field. A greenhouse is not a bad idea but replacing it with a Urban Garden that is supported by local goverment officals, is a bad idea. Thank you.