Thursday, October 13, 2022
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, about 34 million people in the U.S, including 9 million children, experience food insecurity each year. Food insecurity is a lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life. Growing your own vegetables and fruits is a fun, healthy and delicious way to add fresh produce to your diet. Did you know that what you grow can help others fight food insecurity?
Join Washington State University Extension educator Benji Astrachan Thursday, Oct. 13, from noon – 1 p.m. for a Green Thumb Garden Tips Zoom presentation “Growing Inclusively: Supporting Local Food Security Through the Power of the Garden Plot” and find out how you can help curtail food insecurity.
Benji will cover the basics of food insecurity and efforts towards increasing access to healthy locally grown food across Clallam County. He will speak about the different programs and organizations working towards a healthier local food system for all community members, and attendees will hear about how they can become involved with their own gardening interests and skills.
Benji will give gardeners a robust understanding of where and how to contribute to food access efforts; what kinds of foods may be grown by avid gardeners that are most needed and appreciated by those experiencing food insecurity; and how to get involved as a gardener in food access efforts. Gardeners will be able to better understand their role and potential for supporting their neighbors in need and have clear pathways to involvement and improvement through their unique gardening skills.
Benji’s experience on these topics comes through both personal and professional involvement. As a farmworker on local operations, and as a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Education Coordinator with WSU Extension, he has been directly involved in the production and redistribution of quality healthy food on the Olympic Peninsula for years. He is passionate about preventing food waste, educating future generations about local food and agriculture, and ensuring equity in access to local foods.
Benji leads a number of programs at WSU Extension including farm gleaning, farm-to-school garden activities, the Little Free Pantry networks and other local food access projects. He is also a farmworker at SisterLand Farms in Port Angeles and has worked at farms and gardens of all sizes and operation types across Clallam County and New England. When not growing, eating and redistributing local food, he also enjoys a number of outdoor activities like hiking, surfing and biking, and volunteers with many community organizations.
Join by computer: https://wsu.zoom.us/j/92007991742?pwd=OWxtbmNBditKd3ordjA2WEFyME9PUT09
Or join by phone: 253-215-8782
Meeting ID: 920 0799 1742
Passcode: 709395
The “Green Thumbs Garden Tips” education series, sponsored by the WSU Clallam County Master Gardeners, is held on the second and fourth Thursday of each month through October. In November, December, and January, one lecture is offered. Scheduled presentations are subject to change. Visit the WSU Extension Clallam County website calendar for the latest information on upcoming presentations. For questions, call 360-565-2679.
