La Semilla Food Center
La Semilla Food Center’s mission is to build a healthy, self-reliant, fair, and sustainable food system in the Paso del Norte region of southern New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. They work towards their mission by employing interconnected and complementary programs ranging from soil farming at their 12-acre education and demonstration farm to supporting local growers with market opportunities and technical assistance to food planning at the local, regional, and national levels, to school-based and community-based gardening and nutrition education. Through systems thinking, they strive to tackle the root causes of hunger and inequity so that their work will have a lasting effect. Alongside the community, they are building a region of hope, tolerance, and equity, where diverse communities of people can live with dignity and respect. It is in this context that their Edible Education program operates – as important parts of a broader ecosystem of community-rooted interventions. La Semilla works diligently at identifying young leaders in the community and offering mentorship and leadership development to help their roles grow within the organization and community. Food Corps Service Members work alongside other members of the Edible Education team at La Semilla.
La Semilla’s Edible Education program works to grow healthy students and school communities with programming that engages students in gardening, ancestral wellness and cooking activities. The Edible Education program began in 2011 by placing Americorps Service Members in local schools. While this model was successful in individual schools, requests for school garden programming quickly outpaced demand. The program then shifted towards a professional development model that trained educators to implement Edible Education without relying on program staff for day-to-day support. Food Corps Service Members assist Edible Education staff in supporting 30+ school gardens in the region, while also continuing hands-on learning in classrooms at local schools.
Preferred Qualifications
La Semilla Food Center works in partnership with many great organizations in our region, however, La Semilla’s unique programming offers a whole systems approach to creating a more fair, self-reliant food system. For this reason, we are able to offer resources and opportunities to Food Corps service members with a wide range of interests including farming, small business development, youth education from K-12, policy, and others. Therefore, we view Food Corps service as an opportunity to provide valuable training, travel, connection and expertise to individuals in our community who might not otherwise have access to this type of unique experience.
- An interest in gardening, working with youth, nutrition, food justice, cooking, etc.
- Prior experience in these are not required
- Able to communicate in Spanish
- Have grown up in this area or have demonstrated a commitment to the community
We hope that a year of service with Food Corps at La Semilla Food Center will open doors to individuals in our community and give them resources to further pursue their interests.
-
Interested in partnering with FoodCorps? Contact Alicia at
alicia.chavez@foodcorps.org -
Interested in serving in La Semilla Food Center? Contact Tabitha at
tabitha.king@foodcorps.org
La Semilla Food Center’s mission is to build a healthy, self-reliant, fair, and sustainable food system in the Paso del Norte region of southern New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. They work towards their mission by employing interconnected and complementary programs ranging from soil farming at their 12-acre education and demonstration farm to supporting local growers with market opportunities and technical assistance to food planning at the local, regional, and national levels, to school-based and community-based gardening and nutrition education. Through systems thinking, they strive to tackle the root causes of hunger and inequity so that their work will have a lasting effect. Alongside the community, they are building a region of hope, tolerance, and equity, where diverse communities of people can live with dignity and respect. It is in this context that their Edible Education program operates – as important parts of a broader ecosystem of community-rooted interventions. La Semilla works diligently at identifying young leaders in the community and offering mentorship and leadership development to help their roles grow within the organization and community. Food Corps Service Members work alongside other members of the Edible Education team at La Semilla.
La Semilla’s Edible Education program works to grow healthy students and school communities with programming that engages students in gardening, ancestral wellness and cooking activities. The Edible Education program began in 2011 by placing Americorps Service Members in local schools. While this model was successful in individual schools, requests for school garden programming quickly outpaced demand. The program then shifted towards a professional development model that trained educators to implement Edible Education without relying on program staff for day-to-day support. Food Corps Service Members assist Edible Education staff in supporting 30+ school gardens in the region, while also continuing hands-on learning in classrooms at local schools.
Preferred Qualifications
La Semilla Food Center works in partnership with many great organizations in our region, however, La Semilla’s unique programming offers a whole systems approach to creating a more fair, self-reliant food system. For this reason, we are able to offer resources and opportunities to Food Corps service members with a wide range of interests including farming, small business development, youth education from K-12, policy, and others. Therefore, we view Food Corps service as an opportunity to provide valuable training, travel, connection and expertise to individuals in our community who might not otherwise have access to this type of unique experience.
- An interest in gardening, working with youth, nutrition, food justice, cooking, etc.
- Prior experience in these are not required
- Able to communicate in Spanish
- Have grown up in this area or have demonstrated a commitment to the community
We hope that a year of service with Food Corps at La Semilla Food Center will open doors to individuals in our community and give them resources to further pursue their interests.
-
Interested in partnering with FoodCorps? Contact Alicia at
alicia.chavez@foodcorps.org -
Interested in serving in La Semilla Food Center? Contact Tabitha at
tabitha.king@foodcorps.org
