2010 Annual Report

Produce to the People (PttP) has made great progress in 2010 as we began our second year of operation. We saw expansion and honing in each of the four projects that interweave to form our programming as a whole. We harvested and grew over 3 tons of fresh, organic, San Francisco produce, supporting our mission to ensure access to local, nourishing food for low-income members of our community. We met many wonderful new volunteers, and worked with an amazing group of young people, creating community by working together, sharing resources, and uniting over healthy food.

As an organization still in it’s ‘seed’ phase, we have begun to focus on developing our organizational structure, and are in the process of moving out of being entirely volunteer run and into a more traditional non-profit structure. During these difficult economic times, we have managed to grow our funding, both foundation support and individual support, and are well poised to continue to grow in 2011.

Backyard Harvest Project

• Harvested and distributed 4,193 lbs. of organically grown, local fruit, a 32% increase from our total in 2009.
• Increased outreach and added new clients to our harvest registry
• Maintained distribution partnerships with the Free Farmstand, the Julian Pantry, and Martin de Porres soup kitchen. Initiated new distribution partnerships with the Free Farm and SF General free diabetes classes.
• Created a better system of tracking clients and harvests which will be further developed in 2011.
• Developed a set of surveys for youth, harvest clients, and recipients of produce.

Community Gardens Project

• Winter 2010- finished the build out of the St. Marks Church/Luther Towers Senior Community garden, which is now fully supported by those two communities.
• Spring 2010- finished our last semester at the Mission High School Garden, supporting the Garden Advisory Class. MHS received a school greening grant from the city of San Francisco that will hire contractors to build out the garden space over the next two years.

The Free Farm (FF)

• Throughout 2010, the development of the Free Farm has soared and has taken the focus of our Community Gardens Project.
• Developed the farm from an empty lot into a 1/3 acre food production and education garden, hosting two volunteer workdays per week- an average of 30 volunteers per week.
• Grew, harvested, and distributed over 2000 lbs of organic produce.
• Hosted many work groups, including several ‘alternative spring break’ college groups, youth from Sacred Heart Prep (located one block from the farm), a monthly group from Temple Emanu-El, and many more.

• Engaged in the ongoing process of creating a collective organizing structure that operates out of a partnership of 8 individuals, some associated with different non-profits, CBOs, other community oriented projects, as well as some unaffiliated community members.

Summer Youth Employment and Education Program

• Hosted a group of 4 high school students for summer employment for 12 hours per week for 8 weeks through a partnership with MYEEP/SWEP.
• Youth engaged in harvesting fruit, planting and harvesting vegetables, building a composting toilet at the Free Farm, and distributing food through partner project- the Free Farmstand in the Mission.
• Youth visited West Oakland food justice organizations People’s Grocery and City Slicker Farms.
• Youth learned how to can jam and organized a jam sale at partner business, Mission Pie.
• PttP hired a Summer Program Assistant through a partnership with Lutheran Volunteer Corp and Cultivate DioCal.

Jam and Canning Project

• Tripled production in 2010.
• Hosted two Jam Sales through a partnership Mission Pie earning $1174 on approximately 150 jars of jam.
• Developed an ongoing corporate donation exchange with Mission Pie, earning $420 on 84 jars of jam.

Financial Support

• San Francisco Parks Trust Innovator Award -$1500
• Rose Foundation Northern California Grassroots Fund- $3000
• RSF Social Finance Seed Fund- $2000
• Hosted a successful online pledge drive, raising $10,223 from private donors in 60 days.
• Hosted annual Ice Cream Social fundraiser, raising over $1,500, a 60% increase from 2009.

• Accepted to participate in the RSF Social Finance Food and Agriculture Focus Fund Sharing Program