On a recent evening here on the farm, friends came together to share our grief over an unfathomable loss. A day earlier, a tragic house fire in the early morning of September 26 took the lives of Feda Almaliti and her 15 year old son, Muhammed “Mu” Almaliti. The Fremont Fire Department reported that Feda re-entered the burning house to try to rescue Mu. Firefighters found her holding her beloved son, who had severe autism, in an upstairs bedroom, but they both died of their injuries at the hospital.

Their loss is nothing short of devastating to the Bay Area autism community and reaches nationally because Feda’s impact was so broad. One mom called me and shared her despair: “Who? Who will speak for our children now? What are we going to do?” Those of us who live it know intimately the isolation, endless uphill battles, and sheer exhaustion that accompany the raising of a severely disabled child. The grief of losing Feda and Mu has been compounded as the realization begins to set in that Feda’s indefatigable advocacy for everyone’s children has come to an end. It will take a lot of us to carry Feda’s torch.

Though I didn’t know her well, I had the opportunity to work with Feda for several years while serving on the SF Autism Society Board. My son, Noah, does not have autism, but Feda welcomed me to the fold instantly. She never ceased to amaze me with her depth of knowledge about how to maneuver the complex realities of obtaining needed services for children and adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities.

My last conversation with Feda happened through a post seeking advice on resolving a problem with the IHSS system. Maybe five minutes elapsed before my phone rang and it was Feda, ready with all the answers, having stopped whatever she had been doing to respond to my need. To learn more about her is to be uplifted. Read more about what her friends have to say about Feda here on the National Council on Severe Autism website.

Syd Biros, a junior at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, was the farm’s first live-in volunteer. Now back at school doing distance learning, Syd shared some reflections with me for this article.

Nina: Could you tell me a little bit about yourself and how you ended up at Common Roots Farm?

Syd: I was born and raised in the Bay Area. I connected with Common Roots Farm through Fran Goodwin, a family friend and a founding family of Coastal Haven Families LLC. I spent two months this summer living and working on the farm with a fellow volunteer and cannot wait to make it back!

N: What made you interested in Common Roots Farm?

S: I became interested in Common Roots Farm after coming to a volunteer workday, and I really loved the atmosphere of community that I found there. I felt so comfortable working and learning on the farm because of all the wonderful people who were there to help me learn without judgment. I am also passionate about Common Roots Farm from an education standpoint as I have always been interested in accessible outdoor education.

N: What was your favorite day at the farm?

S: My favorite day at the farm was Wednesdays because we would do miscellaneous tasks that needed completing around the farm, and it was always very fun to learn how to do new and interesting things. I particularly enjoyed learning how to use a new tool or harvest a new crop. My favorite time of the day was right before dusk, when it cooled down in the field and was the perfect time to harvest flowers.

N: What are some things that you learned at the farm that you’ll always remember?

S: How to break down a problem into manageable steps. When faced with a difficult task at the farm, the best thing to do is figure out your first step, then the next, and so forth. Using this method, any problem, no matter how looming, was doable. I also will never forget how to harvest strawberries!

N: If you had to be a vegetable, fruit, or flower that we grow at CRF, what would you be? Why?

The newly formed Capitola Coast Lions Club gathered at the farm on a recent Saturday to build several obelisk trellises for use in the garden and at sales events. This was an outstanding group effort cutting wood and bamboo and constructing the structures in a matter of hours using simple hand tools.

The free-standing obelisk trellises will be employed in the garden to allow climbing vegetables such as peas and beans to train through the structure as they grow and mature. Gardeners of all abilities will be able to harvest the vegetables and get nourishment from their efforts.

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