Volunteer at the Sixth Annual Sheep to Shawl Event at Live Earth Farm
On March 21st, the Live Earth Farm Discovery Program will host the 6th annual Sheep to Shawl event at Live Earth Farm. Professional shearer, Bruce Wool, will demonstrate his trade throughout the day, while his wife spins yarn alongside him. We are looking for volunteers to guide guests through hands on demonstrations of every part of the process of making wool into clothing and art. Come get involved in the community and facilitate the artistic experience of processing wool. All skill levels are welcome!
Watsonville, CA, February 10, 2015 – On March 21st, 2015, 10 am to 2pm at 1275 Green Valley Road in Watsonville, the Live Earth Farm Discovery Program’s 6th annual Sheep to Shawl event, will feature hands-on stations demonstrating the entire progression of processing wool, local artisans sharing their wares, and vendors dishing up delicious, locally sourced food. We are looking for skilled and unskilled individual alike to volunteer and help create a fun and memorable event. We will be exhibiting shearing, carding, spinning, dyeing, knitting/crocheting, felting, and weaving. If you have any experience, we would love your help demonstrating these talents. And even if you don’t, we would be thrilled to have your support!
The Discovery Program counts on community volunteers to help us thrive. Thank you so much for the continued support and we hope you take advantage of this opportunity to serve the community while having fun on the farm! We welcome volunteers in a number of different capacities, so please get in touch! Contact Peter Nelson, LEFDP Education Coordinator at lepdpeducation@gmail.com or by calling 831-728-2032.
If you are unable to volunteer but would still like to support the Live Earth Farm 
Discovery Program, you can make a donation to our Spring Fund Drive that provides summer camp scholarships to low income and under served community members. These scholarships give young individuals the chance to explore, and discover how to be stewards of our land and community while learning to plant, harvest, and build a plate of real, mostly plant based food. If you are interested in supporting this opportunity please visit http://liveearthfarm.net/springfunddrive/.
Charity Match is almost at an end. Every donation of $20 or more by February 27th gets a 20% match and builds our scholarship fund for underserved kids to learn to grow, and prepare healthy, farm fresh foods.
We are so grateful for your meaningful contribution.
The fine print. . .
Donations are accepted through February 27, 2015 on the donation website and by mail. Acceptable forms of payment include credit/debit cards and checks (by mail). For donors who are unable to make donations online, charities may enter them. Donors will receive an email confirmation for tax-reporting purposes.
Sending Check Donations?
- Checks must be payable only to “Monterey Peninsula Foundation.”
- Checks not explicitly written out to “Monterey Peninsula Foundation” are not eligible for the program and will be returned.
This summer Live Earth Farm Discovery is offering three unique camps. Since 2009 LEFDP has hosted small groups of children for a week of Art on the Farm Camp along with a Leader in Training Program for teens. This year in addition to two weeks of Art on the Farm Camp for 6-12 year olds, LEFDP also invites children 6-12 years old to Farm to Table Camp and kiddos 3-6 years old to Sprouts Camp. Campers in all three camps will learn and play in our garden, fields and kitchen classroom. They will work with our milking cow, dairy goats and laying hens and snack each day right out of the organic farm fields.
Watsonville, CA, February 20, 2015 – In the summer of 2015 LEFDP will host five weeks of summer camp in the organic fields of Live Earth Farm, as well as a Leader in Training program for teens throughout the summer. The Discovery Program limits camps to 25 kids in order to create an intimate experience for campers and cultivates a compassionate community of young farmers, artists, foodies, naturalists, and environmentalists. The summer will begin and end with a week of Art on the Farm Camp June 15-19, and July 27-31. June 22-26 and July 13-17 will feature Farm to Table Camp for kiddos interested in planting, harvesting, preserving and cooking with the 50 different fruits and vegetables grown at Live Earth Farm. For the third summer 3-6 year old Sprouts campers will explore the farm July 6-10.
“Our mission is to inspire kids to make better choices around food based on a deep understanding of where it comes from. We really feel that the choices they make not only impact their own personal health, but also the health of the community and the environment.” These three different camp offerings provide unique ways to engage with Live Earth Farm. Farm to Table Camp focuses on the processes of growing and preparing food, providing campers with in depth experience in the fields and kitchen, sprinkled with a whole bunch of fun. Sprouts Camp engages really young kids and their families in the garden and animal pens for a 5 senses experience of growing, eating, and playing with food. As ever, Art on the Farm Camp weaves nature-based art activities with fruit, vegetable and farm animal fun.
Due to significant fundraising efforts and foundation support several scholarships are available. If you would still like to support the Live Earth Farm Discovery Program, you can make a donation to the Spring Fund Drive that provides summer camp scholarships to low income and under served community members. These scholarships give young individuals the chance to explore, and discover how to be stewards of our land and community while learning to plant, harvest, and build a plate of real, mostly plant based food. If you are interested in supporting this opportunity please visit http://liveearthfarm.net/springfunddrive/.
Please download the Goodshop app so that all of your online shopping can support Live Earth Farm Discovery. We raise a few hundred dollars each year this way and with your help we cold make it thousands!
We have partnered with Goodshop so that now you can feel great about your online shopping! When you shop through Goodshop a percentage of what you spend on virtually every purchase is donated to our cause AND Goodshop gives you the best coupons for thousands of stores like Target, Apple, Amazon, Petco and more! Plus, with the Goodshop app for iPhone and iPad, you can shop, save, and give on the go.
Get the Goodshop app
New in 2015 Fall Overnights!
2-3 night farm stays for small groups of any age.
project and inquiry-based curriculum
Invest in the Farm to Table Revolution
MAKE A MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE, SUPPORT OUR “GETTING READY FOR 2015” CAMPAIGN
A FEW STEPS CLOSER TO FARM TO TABLE EDUCATION FOR ALL
9 different programs offered346 kids were financially supported by you1500 hours of volunteer engagementINCREASE YOUR IMPACT BY 20%
[button link=”https://events.r2it.com/birdies/r.aspx?site=MontereyPeninsulaFoundation&charity=LEFDP”]Donate through Charity Match[/button]
A special promotion for 2015, #flatclint (a photo cut-out of Clint Eastwood) will be circulating on various social media platforms to generate buzz and highlight the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am’s charitable purpose.
From January 5 – February 15, Monterey Peninsula Foundation will donate $10 to charity for each #flatclint posted on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (up to $100,000). Six randomly selected charities will split the proceeds. To be eligible for the random selection, charities must be one of 20 charities with the most individual donors by December 31, 2014. The six selected charities will be notified on January 5. Proceeds from this promotion will be distributed at the close of program in April 2015.
Here is where LEFDP stands now:
- 20 individual donors have supported LEF Discovery through Charity Match since the beginning of November
- We have raised $2526 during our Giving Tuesday and Year End Campaigns
- We have raised $12,816 through our joint Fall Fund Drive and Charity Match Campaign
- We hope to raise $5500 more before the end of 2014!
Donate before December 31, to help us qualify to split the proceeds from the #flatclint promotion. Every donation counts, and no amount is too small. Give what you can.
If we are selected we will give notice in the first week in January and ask you to post #flatclint all over your social media accounts, to raise $10 for each post.
Winter Panzanella Salad
1 loaf crusty bread (ciabatta works well), cut into cubes
1 medium Butternut squash, peeled and chopped
6 Sage leaves, chopped
1 bunch of kale
½ lb. Brussels sprouts
2 apples
Heaping handful of dried cranberries
Heaping handful of hazelnuts
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Peel and cube squash. Toss in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and chopped sage. Roast for 30 minutes or until tender. (Make sure they have cooled before adding them to salad.)
- Cut bread into cubes, toss in olive oil and toast in oven until golden, about 12 minutes
- Roast hazelnuts on a dry sheet pan until toasted, 10-15 minutes
- Chop Brussels sprouts
- Tear and massage kale
- Slice apples
- Toss everything
together with dressing
Red wine vinegar and honey dressing
1 cup olive oil
½ cup red wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons of lemon juice
2 Tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
Fresh pepper
Recipe adapted by Program Assistant, Christine Landis from bbcgoodfood.com
On behalf of the Live Earth Farm Discovery Program staff, board of directors and 1500 students, I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks for your support! In 2014 you, our community, have given us so much. You have given more than 500 hours of your time to help us teach farm-based nutrition education at Live Earth Farm.You have also contributed $20,000, and most importantly, you participate. Thank you. We are blessed and look forward to working together in 2015.
Looking Forward to 2015!
We have big plans for 2015 and you can help us make it all happen. We hope to offer more 2-4 night overnight programs for schools and organizations, interested in living and working on the farm. We plan on hosting about 1000 kids on field trips in the spring and fall. We will offer five summer camps for up to 25 kids each week, with a variety of themes throughout June, July and August. In addition, we will continue to host the Santa Cruz Montessori Wavecrest Middle School program every Thursday and our monthly Homeschool, Wee Ones, and Small Farmers programs, not to mention the Sheep to Shawl Fair in March and the Harvest Festival in October.
We have some behind the scenes projects in mind for 2015 as well. We will be making a final transition to a Constituent Relationship Management database, which on the back end is as complicated as it sounds. Also, LEFDP is building its very own website, in order to efficiently provide teachers, students and community members all the information they need to participate in our programs AND we will launch our own blog including a farming tips, tricks and techniques section to expand the information we provide at the farm to a much wider community.
Reaching this variety of students of all ages would be so much harder for our small staff of three without your help. Here is what you can do.
Consider making a gift on #GivingTuesday: https://events.r2it.com/birdies/r.aspx?site=MontereyPeninsulaFoundation&charity=LEFDP- Join us as a volunteer for our Calling Party tonight on the farm, at the Sheep to Shawl Fair in March or anytime in the garden and fields.
- Join our lean mean Board of Directors. Contact Jessica if you are interested: LEFDPDirector@gmail.com
- Help us get the word out on social media, using @LEFDP and the hashtag #GivingTuesday
- Take photos to post on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram
- Do something kind for another person.
Today is the day and we need your help to grow our impact on the children and families of the Santa Cruz, Monterey and Santa Clara counties.
Sincerely,
Jessica Ridgeway
Executive Director
