August 2026 Newsletter
Harvest Festival: August 29th
Join us for an afternoon celebrating local food, music, and community at the Harvest Festival!
The Del Norte & Tribal Lands Community Food Council, in partnership with College of the Redwoods Del Norte Center, invites you to the Harvest Festival on Saturday, August 29, from 12–4 p.m. at the Crescent City Food Forest. This free, family-friendly event brings together the best of our local harvest with live music, local food trucks, artisan vendors, a corn eating contest, harvest activities, and more. Whether you're coming to enjoy great food, connect with neighbors, or learn something new, there's something for everyone. Admission is free, and all are welcome. Learn more at our Harvest Festival page.
PROGRAM UPDATES
Food Systems Resilience
This month, our Food Systems Resilience team continued building partnerships and planning for the future of Del Norte's food system. A site visit to Ceres Community Project provided valuable insight into operating a community-centered commercial kitchen, helping inform the vision for the future Gather & Grow Food Hub. The team also continued developing a locally tailored Greenhouse Gas Calculator with the Del Norte Solid Waste Management Authority and Blue Strike Environmental to support data-driven organics management planning.
Looking ahead, join us for two upcoming community meetings: the Draft Organics Management Plan Presentation on August 17, where we'll share proposed strategies for reducing organic waste in Del Norte County, and the Multi-Agency Disaster Feeding Plan Community Meeting on August 21, where community members can learn about and provide input on our coordinated emergency feeding plan. Both events mark important milestones in strengthening our region's long-term sustainability and emergency preparedness. Visit our events page for more details on both of these community meetings.
Harvest Box
Our Harvest Box program is off to a strong start, with the first two distributions of the season serving 55 active customers—nearly double last year's customer base. In July, we sourced 506 pounds of local food, generating $2,736 in sales for six regional producers while expanding deliveries to Smith River, Gasquet, and Klamath. We also celebrated a new milestone as our School Gardens program contributed to Harvest Box for the first time, harvesting, washing, and packing 42 bunches of kale for the July 23 distribution. As the season continues, we're building stronger relationships with local growers and expanding our regional food aggregation efforts.
School Gardens
It has been a busy and productive month across our School Gardens! Kale planted earlier this season was sold through our Harvest Box and donated to the Family Resource Center—showcasing the impact of students growing food that gives back to the community.
With the incredible support of the Sierra Youth Project, major improvements were completed at both Pine Grove Elementary and 'O Me-nok Learning Center. Together, we built new garden beds, installed irrigation, prepared growing spaces, and completed projects that will support hands-on learning for years to come. Pine Grove now has a brand-new school garden and is preparing for the installation of a greenhouse before the new school year begins.
We also celebrated the completion of a year-long restoration project at Crescent Elk Middle School, where more than 100 students, the Wild Rivers Permaculture Guild, and dedicated volunteers helped restore all 24 garden beds. Looking ahead, more than 800 seeds have already been planted for winter harvest, ensuring students will return this fall to thriving gardens ready for learning, harvesting, and growing.
Farmers Market
July was another successful month at the Downtown Crescent City Farmers Market, with nearly 30 vendors participating each week and more than $34,000 in direct sales supporting local farms and food businesses. Nutrition incentive programs continued to increase access to fresh, local food, with CalFresh Market Match, WIC, POP Club, and other programs helping community members stretch their food dollars while supporting local producers.
Our Farmers Market team also attended the Ecology Center Farmers Market Face-to-Face Conference, connecting with market managers from across California to learn new strategies for strengthening local markets, expanding food access, and supporting vendor success.
Don't miss the final Power of Produce (POP) Club of the season on Wednesday, August 12, from 11:00 AM–1:00 PM, where kids can participate in fun educational activities and receive vouchers to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from market vendors. The last Seamless Summer Meals pickup will also take place next Wednesday from 11:00 AM–12:00 PM, providing free breakfast and lunch for all children and youth ages 18 and under. The Crescent City Farmers Market takes place every Wednesday 9am-2pm until the end of October.
Food Forest
The Crescent City Food Forest continued to grow this month thanks to the support of interns, volunteers, and staff. With the help of four summer interns and our new Food Forest Coordinator Assistant, Jason, we added more than 50 vegetable plants to the hugel beds, maintained the growing spaces, and completed projects that will help the Food Forest thrive for seasons to come. We are incredibly grateful for the many dedicated volunteers whose hard work continues to transform the space into a vibrant community resource.
We also wrapped up our Fruiting Perennials Workshop Series with a Summer Pruning workshop led by Master Gardener Terry Allaway, giving community members the opportunity to learn hands-on pruning techniques for fruiting trees and shrubs. Don’t forget to come to the Harvest Festival happening August 29th at the Food Forest!
Community Nutrition Education
July was filled with hands-on learning as youth participated in two Food & Farm Camps in Crescent City and Klamath. Through partnerships with the Boys & Girls Club, the Yurok Food Sovereignty Village, UC Cooperative Extension, and many community partners, campers explored healthy cooking, food preservation, gardening, composting, environmental education, and local agriculture while building confidence, leadership skills, and lasting connections to food and the land.
In Crescent City, campers learned kitchen skills, prepared healthy snacks, cared for the Food Forest, explored forest ecology, and discovered artistic and outdoor skills through activities led by local educators and partners. In Klamath, campers connected with Yurok culture through traditional foods, learned about food sovereignty, and experienced firsthand how locally grown food supports community health.
Both camps highlighted the power of experiential learning, bringing together local farmers, educators, Tribal partners, and volunteers to inspire the next generation. From harvesting fresh produce and preserving food to exploring the natural world and sharing meals together, youth left camp with new skills, stronger connections to their community, and a deeper appreciation for healthy food, culture, and environmental stewardship.
Upcoming Events
Shaping the Future of Del Norte Organics: Draft Plan Review & Community Feedback
Join community partners to review the draft plan & provide input on strategies for waste reduction & food recovery.
August 17th, 11:00am–12:30pm
Flynn Administration Center (981 H St. Crescent City, CA 95531)
Community Emergency Feeding Meeting
Join the Community Food Council's Emergency Feeding Task Force for a community meeting to learn about the Multi-Agency Disaster Feeding Plan (MADFP) and help shape how we prepare to feed our communities during disasters and disruptions.
August 21st, 10:00am–12:00pm
Gather & Grow Office (Virtual Option Available)
510 E Washington Blvd., Crescent City, CA 95531