On Saturday, May 31, 20124, the San Francisco Urban Agriculture Alliance hosted a bike ride through the Hayes Valley, Civic Center and Tenderloin Neighborhoods to see some of the hidden gardens there. The purpose was to introduce people to urban agriculture activities in our city, raise awareness about what is happening, and offer information about how to get involved. One of the organizers, Greg Richardson, said, “There were other gardens on the tour that engaged the homeless (Growing Home) or the blind (Please Touch), and having a garden that engaged youth in education (Koshland Garden) was wonderful.”
The San Francisco Urban Agriculture Alliance (SFUAA) promotes the growing of food within San Francisco and the associated goals of their member organizations, through advocacy, education and grassroots action. The SFUAA pursues their mission by leveraging the strengths of their members, from backyard farmers to social justice organizations, both within the Alliance and in collaboration with outside organizations and government agencies.
One of the SFUAA members, Elise Baier, who owns a landscaping business, SmallSpotGardens in the Mission district, was impressed by all the programs CommunityGrows offers in Koshland Garden. She was especially glad that we are working with teen 15-19 years old getting them interested in the green field and helping them get jobs. Thank you SFUAA for stopping by and sharing the day with us.