October 2025 Newsletter
Gratitude for Community
Harvest Festival- A Celebration of Local Food & Community
This year’s Harvest Festival was a huge success, drawing over 500 people to the Food Forest for a day filled with music, food, and community spirit. The stage came alive with performances by Tsunami Swing, The Woodpile, fELF, Rebel Tree, and Sun Catcher, creating the perfect soundtrack for the day.
Festival-goers enjoyed delicious local food vendors, fun activities, and plenty of harvest-themed experiences. Highlights included a harvest share, tasting local apple varieties, and creating a stunning community art mandala with natural materials. The corn eating contest stole the show, with prizes for the fastest shucker-and-eater, most kernels eaten, most compostable cob, and even the happiest corn eater!
Hands-on learning also took center stage with the Master Gardeners teaching seed saving, and 4-H and FFA youth leading agricultural activities. Yard games kept the fun going for families and kids of all ages, as well as an extensive kids area led by the Del Norte Child Care Council.
This event also served as a fundraiser for the Community Food Council, with all alcohol sales benefiting local food programs. A huge thank you to Seaquake, Port O’ Pints, and High Note Winery for their generous beverage donations.
It was a truly beautiful day in the Food Forest—an incredible celebration of local food, music, and community coming together.
Thank you to all of our volunteers and community members who helped make the Harvest Festival 2025 memorable.
School Gardens
The month of August was dedicated to preparing our 2025/2026 school year. This included choosing the appropriate curriculum for each school, contacting all principals about the next phase of the school garden program, and visiting each site to gain a clear understanding of their needs and what we could offer. We are transitioning from leading educational programs to creating an example that teachers can easily apply themselves.
We reconnected with Sunset High School to plan our first year, and we welcomed Pine Grove Elementary School into our program. At Sunset High school we are working hand in hand with students so together we learn how to construct a garden. At Pine Grove, a new site has been chosen for their garden, and we can’t wait to start building. Meanwhile, we are testing and teaching the Nutrition to Grow On curriculum, created by the California Department of Education. This book is also being taught at Bess Maxwell and Smith River Elementary school.
We dismantled and rebuilt the garden at Joe Hamilton Elementary School. We promise we are almost done. Now we are looking at a beautiful and functional greenhouse for that space.
September represented a new beginning with all of our Del Norte students back in class. We have learned how to harvest, prepare and eat the crops planted before the school year ended. Like apples, strawberries, medicinal flowers, lettuces, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and of course, zucchinis.
Today we reach more than 300 students every week, sharing with them the love and benefits of working the soil, caring not only for our plants but also their educational and social needs.
Taa-’at-dvn Chee-ne’Tetlh-tvm’- Crescent City Food Forest
Compost Workshop & Community Input Meeting
Come check out the Food Forest’s new compost system. Learn how to make compost in 30 days on Tuesday, October 14th, from 2-5pm at the Crescent City Food Forest at 883 W. Washington Blvd. at College of the Redwoods Del Norte.
Keep the composting momentum turning! After the workshop, join the Del Norte Solid Waste Task Force meeting, on October 20th, 10AM-12PM to share your thoughts and help shape local composting solutions. This will be at the Flynn Center: Board Chambers at 981 H Street, Crescent City, CA.
North Coast Emergency Food System Partnership
The DNATL Community Food Council’s work to strengthen emergency feeding and food system resilience was recently featured in Civil Eats, an award-winning news site dedicated to critical thinking about the American food system. The article highlights how Del Norte and our regional partners are building innovative models for resilience and collaboration during emergencies and disruptions—while also strengthening our food system during blue sky times.
Read the article here: This Coalition Distributes Local Food After Disaster Strikes | Civil Eats
Climate Resilient Farmer Rancher Training
Join a cohort for a no-cost program with classes in climate adaptive crop & livestock production and production planning, business classes and business plan development.
In-field & classroom learning with local seasoned farmers and experts including multiple farm locations.
Choice of paid internships for hands-on experience or mentorship pairings for support on your own site
This program is designed to train individuals who are or would like to manage or own a farm in the coming years, or have a lead role in a food sovereignty garden.
Space will prioritize historically underserved farmers and ranchers as defined by the USDA. NCGA and the project partners maintain a strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
LOCATIONS
Locations for workshops and hands-on technical assistance over the 15 month program will be spread across the region at various farm and/or community garden locations in Humboldt and Del Norte counties, and will rotate to ensure each participant receives exposure to a wide variety of production practices and farm management approaches. Classroom workshops and activities will take place at locations including NCGA Harvest Hub classroom facility in Arcata, and the Humboldt County Agricultural Center in Eureka, and the Innovation Hub in Arcata.
TIMELINE AND CONTENT
This is a 15 month program running from January 2026- March 2027
Program curriculum is specific to this region’s unique climate, geography, and markets, with learning opportunities covering a range of agricultural products including vegetables, tree fruits, wine grapes, beef, dairy, quinoa, and dry beans.
This training program recognizes that national, state and local agricultural services have historically underserved people of color, Indigenous and Native American people, immigrants, undocumented people, people whose first language is not English, women, LGBTQI+ people, and people with disabilities, and therefore strives to operate an actively anti-racist program that reduces critical barriers for, and prioritizes, historically underserved populations of farmers.
Instructors and farmer speakers will reflect the ethnic, gender, age and other categories of diversity of our regional farming population.
Please read through all the program information before applying.
Farmers Market
As we head into the fall harvest season, we invite you to celebrate the bounty of local food in Del Norte. The Farmers Market is more than a place to shop; it’s a celebration of food, creativity, and connection.
Please join us for the final Farmers Markets of 2025!
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.
School District Nutrition Services
Have you explored the DNUSD Nutrition website lately? 🌟
It’s packed with useful info on student nutrition, fitness, and wellness, plus up-to-date monthly menus. The Nutrition Services team works tirelessly to provide healthy meals made from scratch, featuring local beef, cheese, and fresh greens—supporting both our students and local farmers. We’re grateful for their dedication to keeping our community’s youth nourished and thriving all school year long!
Check out the website: DNUSD Food Service