Gardening & Agriculture: Teaching sustainable practices and community preservation.

Youth Development: Building skills and offering stress relief through practical learning.

Community Engagement: Creating safe, shared spaces for food security and neighborhood beautification.

Environmental Impact: Promoting sustainability practices to enhance neighborhood vitality.

A New Dawn’s youth programs are centered around addressing stress and trauma through mentorship, hands-on learning in gardening and agriculture, and the maintenance of our community garden and greenhouse. By empowering youth, they aim to rehabilitate and prepare them to preserve public safety and neighborhood vitality.

To these ends, A New Dawn offers a variety of programs aimed at fostering community growth, resilience and education, including Hydroponics and Soil-Free Farming, Nutrition Education/Cooking Classes, Technology Integration (incorporating AI and drone technology in farming to modernize traditional agricultural practices), Financial Literacy, and other wellness related programming like yoga.

Here’s just one success story of many that Dawn and Patrick were happy to share with us:

“One of our most successful initiatives was a nutrition class held at the Lucien E. Blackwell Community Center. We enrolled 20 students from diverse backgrounds to enhance their understanding of healthy eating while also improving their literacy skills. The program, led by a nutritionist and educational specialist, successfully bridged the gap between everyday language and academic excellence by incorporating SAT vocabulary into the curriculum.

The class was so well-received that many students returned for subsequent programs. The SAT instructor involved has since developed a separate program, continuing to promote literacy alongside nutritional education.”

The Food Trust has been excited to partner directly with A New Dawn in a number of ways, such as connecting them with opportunities to vend their produce at markets, providing promotional support through the Nutrition Navigator, and utilizing their networks as a method to distribute Food Bucks to the community.

In addition to the wealth of programming currently offered, Dawn and Patrick are always looking to the future.  Prospective new programs include:

Aquaponics Classes: We plan to offer hands-on learning experiences that combine fish farming with plant growing in water, creating a symbiotic environment.

Expansion of Farmers Market Offerings: We aim to sell fresh fish, such as tilapia, alongside our produce, further enhancing our market’s offerings.

Technology in Agriculture: We will continue to integrate advanced technologies like AI and drones, helping participants learn how to apply these tools in modern farming.

Dawn and Patrick are also particularly interested in acquiring a building or lot to expand their aquaponics system, not just for educational purposes but also to develop a more comprehensive system. The Food Trust and A New Dawn have also discussed a potential new mode of partnership in arranging Sunday field trip to the Headhouse Market, offering a guided tour and introduction to our vendors to give participants a firsthand experience of the market environment.

The Food Trust looks forward to such new partnerships with A New Dawn, as well as simply continuing to watch this vibrant organization grow and serve the community!

Mi Salud’s programs and services include: Healthy Lifestyle Workshops covering topics like diabetes prevention, cancer awareness, healthy eating, and exercise; Pop-Up Workshops on mental health, family and parenting; a Food Pantry; Health Screening Events; Community Health Fairs; a Youth Sports Program, which offer gym space for volleyball for ages 10-18; “Senior Tuesdays” a dedicated time for seniors to come in, attend food distribution, screenings, and see other resources; and Cooking Classes.

One notable success story Mi Salud shared with us was from their diabetes prevention program:

“A gentleman, initially weighing 300 pounds and at high risk for diabetes, joined the program. He was skeptical at first, but with encouragement from our lifestyle coach, he committed to the program, setting goals around exercise, stress management, and physical activity. Six months in, he lost 35 pounds, and by the end of the year, he lost 50 pounds, significantly reducing his risk for diabetes and improving his cholesterol and blood pressure levels. He was thrilled with the results and even shared a heartfelt testimony in Spanish during his graduation, highlighting the positive impact on his health and life.”

Mi Salud staff, on their partnership with The Food Trust:

“When we first opened we reached out to The Food Trust, particularly for the Farmers Market program. We have since collaborated on various initiatives, including nutrition education, pop-up events, and even receiving a HIGI station at our site that is open to the community! We’ve even been able to provide resources in Spanish, reaching our community members more effectively.” 

Looking forward, Mi Salud aims to include more workshops around mental and social health, focusing on whole-person health: mind, body, and spirit. They also plan to start a support group around mental health to connect community members, especially the large immigrant population they serve, with necessary resources addressing issues like trauma.

The Food Trust is incredibly grateful for our partnership with Mi Salud and we look forward to watching their continued success, and supporting in whatever way we can!