Dig Deep Farms at Ardenwood
Grand Opening!

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

12:00 to 3:00 p.m.

34600 Ardenwood Boulevard, Fremont, CA 94555

This family-friendly event will include a press conference, remarks, healthy food and beverages from local vendors, tours of the Dig Deep Farms Regenerative Farming Project facility, gift bags with healthy produce, and a chance to meet the urban farmers who are creating a new, regenerative, circular food economy supporting Alameda County.   
 

Learn how the DDF Regenerative Farming Project at Ardenwood:     

• Supports local, BIPOC farmers     

• Creates living wage farming jobs

• Boosts regenerative food production

• Alleviates food insecurity

• Expands the Recipe4Health food-as-medicine healthcare model    

• Accelerates the growth of ALL IN Eats, the County’s new Local Circular Food Economy 

• Enhances public safety by supporting communities through the Alameda County Sheriff’s Community Capitals Policing initiative
   

Capacity is limited, so RSVP today!

Free, on-site parking is limited.  We encourage guests to use public transit if possible.

Can you help support our community with us?  We need volunteers to help direct traffic, help set up and take down tables and chairs, and other tasks.  Email us at the link below if you can help out!
 

Funder Spotlight:
Flexible Funds from Kaiser Give DDF Food Vendors Support to Succeed

DSAL is incredibly grateful to Kaiser Permanente for their grant to support local food vendors who lease space in the Dig Deep Farms Food Hub’s affordable, commercial kitchen. Kaiser understands that every entrepreneur is different, so they generously left it up to the Food Hub management team to determine the best use for the funds.

After assessing needs, the management team decided to offer the food vendors a combination of support that includes marketing assistance, business and financial consulting, and financial support. Some of the food vendors are leveraging Kaiser’s support to launch new websites, others are working on their business and financial plans, while others are using the funds to purchase supplies and much-needed equipment.

Thanks, Kaiser, for your generous support!

Best Wishes to Edwin Weathersby II,
Transformative Leader of DSAL’s Health and Fitness Department

DSAL’s Health & Fitness Department provides local youth with free sports and fitness activities that improve lives by developing character and providing healthy alternatives to being on the streets after school. The Health and Fitness coaching team serves thousands of kids each year through a wide variety of activities, including recreational soccer, competitive soccer, boxing, dance, wrestling, flag football, fitness, summer camps, special events, and more.

And while many schools and after-school programs were closed during the pandemic, DSAL’s Health and Recreation Department scrambled to offer free, virtual classes and coaching sessions to keep kids active and safe.

Overseeing our vast Health and Fitness programs is a big job, and there was no one better equipped to lead the department than Edwin Weathersby II.

Edwin joined DSAL in May 2021, in the midst of the pandemic, and he jumped right into the fray, overseeing the virtual recreation programs, and then transitioning to safe, in-person sports and recreation when the pandemic ebbed. Edwin also launched new activities, including co-ed flag football and wrestling programs; and he brought in key new partners, including the 49ers, the Oakland Roots, and the San Jose Earthquakes.

On behalf of everyone at DSAL—and the youth and families we serve—we want to thank Edwin for his excellent leadership and service!

Vision to Learn Provides Eye Exams & Glasses for DSAL Summer Campers

Vision to Learn, a nonprofit organization that provides free eye exams and free eyeglasses to elementary school students in low-income communities, brought their mobile eye clinic out to DSAL’s Summer Camp to give eye exams to participants in DSAL’s summer camp. They paid a second visit to screen campers who failed the initial eye exam. And at the end of camp, they will be distributing free glasses to campers in need. As a result, 20 campers will be getting new prescription glasses at no cost!

Dig Deep Farms Food Vendor Creative Sips Joins the E14th Eatery + Kitchen

Creative SIPS, a Dig Deep Farms Food Hub vendor, is growing! Owned by Meimei Ma, Creative SIPS makes delicious, unique, healthy beverages (Boba, Milk Tea, Coffee, Latte, and Smoothies) and tasty Hong Kong-inspired treats carefully curated with fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

Until now, Creative SIPS has been operating out of their food truck. Now, they also operate a kiosk at the E14th Eatery + Kitchen - a community kitchen and food business incubator in Ashland.

It all started when Meimei lost her job during the height of the pandemic and began selling Tiramisu at Lake Merritt. Later, when she had a chance to purchase a food truck, she asked her sister, Koei, to join the business. Meimei and Koei have spent the last year doing food truck and catering events around the Bay Area, but they were increasingly interested in managing a brick-and-mortar location.

The kiosk at the E14th Eatery & Kitchen provides "a golden opportunity to manifest and try out ideas that have been on our mind…and test our menu items,” said Meimei.

You can follow Creative SIPS on Instagram, and you can find them either in their food truck or at their kiosk in the E14th Eatery + Kitchen.

Hey! We're Hiring!

Find out more about the proud work we've been doing on our blog.
 

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