The fences around the nonprofit Coastal Roots Farm in Encinitas now have a fresh coat of white paint. A plot of land – the future site for a greenhouse to propagate plants from seeds – has been cleared of weeds and debris. Wooden posts for a permanent shade structure have been erected to replace a row of tents leading up to its farm stand. The structure will be covered with shade sails and make it more comfortable for customers who queue up to buy produce from the farm stand.
This was all accomplished on a recent Sunday morning by about 70 SDG&E employees, their friends and families who volunteered their time at the community farm as part of the company’s Environmental All Stars monthly employee volunteer program.
On July 30, starting at around 9 a.m., the volunteers donned gloves and picked up paint brushes, shovels, and other tools and got to work. For the next three hours, they wiped down the split rail fences before applying a fresh coat of paint. They removed weeds, salvaged edging rocks, dug up stumps, and pulled out old irrigation pipes on a plot of land across from the farm stand, where Coastal Roots plans to build a greenhouse. A trailer was filled up with trash.
Donation made to farm
On the same day the volunteering work took place, SDG&E presented a ceremonial check for a $5,000 donation to Coastal Roots Farm. Javier Guerrero, president and CEO of the nonprofit, welcomed the volunteers and noted the donation would go a long way in offsetting the costs of buying paint and lumber for the improvements.
“I appreciate you taking time out of your life to do something that’s tangible for our community,” said Encinitas Mayor Tony Krantz who grew up nearby also stopped by to thank the volunteers.
About Coastal Roots Farm
Since its inception in 2014, Coastal Roots Farm has:
- Grown nearly half a million pounds of produce
- Diverted more than 6 million pounds of waste from landfills
- Fed nearly 300,000 people
- And enriched the lives of about 30,000 youth through its programs focused on climate activism and love of nature
Guerrero shared that prior to the pandemic, only one third of the customers who come to the farm stand took advantage of the pay what you can policy; now two thirds do. It’s not uncommon for people to queue up to buy from the farm stand before it opens.
“Food insecurity in San Diego is real,” Guerrero said.
Coastal Roots Farm’s operations, which consist of vegetable production fields, an education farm and gardens, a food forest, chickens and compost operations, are spread over 17 acres. Learn more about how the farm integrates sustainable agriculture, food justice and ancient Jewish wisdom, visit Coastal Roots Farm.
