June 2025 Newsletter
DNSWMA Community Input Meeting
Join Us for Community Input Meeting #3! Designing a 10-Year Organic Waste Plan (2025–2035)
Date: Tuesday, June 17, 2025Time: 1:00–3:00 PMLocation: Flynn Center Board Chambers, 981 H St., Crescent City
Join us in person or virtually by RSVP here: RSVP: https://forms.gle/XZmLkP2JaKKm8ZpT6
The Del Norte Solid Waste Management Authority, (DNSWMA) in partnership with the DNSWMA Task Force and the Del Norte & Tribal Lands Community Food Council, invites you to help shape the future of organic waste in our region.
Together, we’ll:
Create effective community composting and education strategies
Explore solutions for managing food and yard waste at home, businesses, and neighborhood scales
Discuss infrastructure investments needed for long-term success
Highlight entrepreneur and green business opportunities in the local waste stream
Begin shaping goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from organic waste by 75% by 2035
This is a collaborative, hands-on session open to all community members—residents, growers, businesses, youth, and leaders. If you're curious about composting, waste solutions, or launching a green enterprise, we want to hear from you!
DNATL CFC is Hiring!
We are hiring a Farmers Market Assistant Manager for the 2025 season of the Downtown Crescent City Farmers Market. Find the full job description and how to apply here
Farmers Market
When and Where is the Downtown Farmers Market?
Every Wednesday from June-October 9am-2pm, across from the Post Office at 240 H St. (in the old Bank of America parking lot) in the heart of downtown Crescent City!
Live music from 11:00-1:00 every week. Check out the bulletin board on the H street side of the building for the monthly lineup!
Taa-'at-dvn Chee-ne' Tetlh-tvm': Crescent City Food Forest
Gardening at the Food Forest is in full swing! The new Food Forest Coordinators are working hard to figure out the next steps for the Food Forest to help it better serve our community. They are going to be gearing towards community - based input and planning for our next project, and are thinking hard about the things we want to see for the future of the Food Forest. This includes incorporating the high school and CR classes into the garden, educating the community about proper harvesting techniques, and incorporating more beneficial native plants into the garden.
This month there has been a good bit of planting at the Food Forest! Plants like snap peas, pumpkins, and beets have been seeded and will need planting soon. There are some good harvesting opportunities available, as our strawberries and raspberries are just starting to produce some yummy fruits. Fava beans are also a good crop right now. Of course, weeding is ongoing, and the fence was fixed where the deer were coming in, and preparations for the annual Food to Farm camp are in full swing!
Be on the lookout for future community planning meetings if you have input on what you want to see from our Food Forest!
School Gardens
It has been a busy month at the school gardens. More than 300 students helped transplant vegetable starts, so now we have all of our garden beds growing. Thanks to the Klamath Promise Neighborhood and Farm to School Incubator grants, we have been producing more food than last year, and —gophers permitting—we'll get to teach more students how to harvest and sell their produce at our local farmers market, the Downtown Crescent City Farmers Market!
We made messes in the classrooms with our cooking classes, we collected flowers to make medicine, we had a little end of the year party with DJ Defender, and we grew our team with two more School Garden coordinators; Walter Campos and Hailei Markgraf.
Thanks to all who have believed in us and have lifted this project to where it is today. Like the Yurok Tribe who have been inviting us to participate in their cultural classes at ‘O Me-Nok Elementary School in Klamath. There we’ve learned so much, even how to make edibles from spruce needles.
Next step? Grow enough food to bring into the school cafeteria! Come help us feed our children the goods they have learned to care for! Just reach out to your school principal and ask for us. They will be happy to help.
We would like to highlight Walter’s words:
I have officially completed my first month as one of the new Del Norte & Tribal Lands Community Food Council's School Garden Coordinators. So far, the experience has been phenomenal. To think, only a year ago, I was volunteering at my daughters’ school garden at Joe Hamilton, collaborating with Melanie Cross. Now we work together to educate Del Norte students and teachers about the importance of having a school garden and where their food can come from. We hope to inspire students so that they may become tomorrow’s agriculturalists.
Harvest Box Calendar
Subscribe to the Harvest Box- Wednesday by 4:00, the week before to get the next distribution
4-6 seasonal & local produce items
locally sources protein
local delivery & pick-up available
now accepting EBT!
every 1st and 3rd Thursday
The Harvest Box is gaining traction! The units of food going out between May and June went from 33 to 39 - that’s almost a 20% increase in 1 month! The new add-ons such as the coffee, New York steaks, and hydrosols are also becoming popular. Thanks to the community, our local farms and producers are receiving more and more support.
Don’t forget to check out the A to Z Seasonal Recipes page on our website for ways to use the delicious, local, seasonal produce available in the Harvest Box - or perhaps from your own garden!
Showcase Your Skills at the County Fair!
Do you garden, raise animals, craft, bake, create?
Check out the handbooks for this year’s County Fair and enter your fruits, vegetables, baked goods, crafts, and animals. This is a wonderful opportunity to display your talents, hard work, have fun, and celebrate our community.
County fairs have a rich tradition going back to the first state fair in 1854 which inspired counties throughout the state to celebrate and showcase their industries and products which were mostly agricultural at that time. California fairs are divided into classes with Class I being the smallest and Class VII the largest. Del Norte County is a Class II fair - small yet mighty! So consider entering the fruits of your labor at our very own fair. All ages and experience levels are welcome. There is truly something for everyone!
School District Nutrition
Have you looked at the Del Norte Unified School District (DNUSD) Nutrition website lately? It’s amazing! The Nutrition Services team has put together a wide range of information with key details about nutrition, fitness, and wellness for the students they serve.
Check out the website: DNUSD Food Service
Pacific Pantry & Mobile Market
Help Support the Pacific Pantry & Mobile Market
The Family Resource Center of the Redwoods Food Bank has an ongoing commitment to combat hunger in our community. The Pacific Pantry and Mobile Market support the most vulnerable in our community, providing local, nutritious food to families in need.
As we face these uncertain times, please consider joining us to take action against hunger. Together, our actions help ensure our community has the food needed to thrive.
Help make a difference by donating today.