Illuminating the Garden Wellness Journey Event
October 22, 2026
Market Schedule and Upcoming Events
Improving health and wellness in our communities!
2026 FLH CELEBRATION
Our Signature Fundraising Event is Back!
Tuesday, December 8th, 2026 – 6pm to 8pm
Mission Trails Visitor Center | 1 Father Junipero Serra Trail, San Diego, CA 92119
Project New Village presents the 15th annual Fannie Lou Hamer Legacy Celebration, our premier year-end fundraising event supporting our food justice work in greater Southeastern San Diego. The event will take place at the award-winning Mission Trails Visitor Center, offering guests a unique dining experience with a stunning view of Mission Gorge.
This joyous year-end fundraising event features food, cocktails, and highlights the good work being done in Southeastern San Diego to combat food insecurity.
Inspired by the courageous work of Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer, we recognize those community members that follow her example through their work to build food sovereignty in the Good Food District with our Food Equity Award presentation.
A Legacy of Community-Led Impact
Mrs. Hamer’s leadership in creating the Freedom Farm Cooperative (1969) is a real and relevant example of the impact of a community-led approach. The cooperative was an agricultural, educational, and manufacturing enterprise that fed and employed thousands in Sunflower County, Mississippi, one of the most food-insecure counties in the U.S. at the time.
Mrs. Hamer used cooperatives as a vehicle for systemic change, and she treated economic empowerment as a tool for political rights.
2026 Cooperative Hall of Fame Induction
On October 8, 2026, Fannie Lou Hamer was inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame as one of five outstanding cooperative leaders, honored for her life’s work in economic justice and community empowerment.
To learn more about this prestigious award highlighting Mrs. Hamer’s accomplishments, visit https://www.heroes.coop/.
Informed by the spirit and strength of Mrs. Hamer’s legacy, Project New Village is creating the Good Food District, a community-rooted place-making initiative to address food insecurity in the neighborhoods of Greater Southeastern San Diego (GSESD). Through Equitable Food Oriented Development (EFOD), we aim to elevate and integrate urban agriculture as a key component of community revitalization in food-insecure neighborhoods.
The Good Food District represents a new model for investment, growth, and shared wealth.
Our Work
We are inspired by the 2026 recognition of our ancestor, Mrs. Hamer, for her contributions to humanity, and her legacy continues to fuel our community-led work. Project New Village is shaping alternative, community-driven food access and economic development programs to shift dynamics of race, poverty, and food insecurity. We are developing programs and frameworks that design and implement equity-based models to:
- Improve access to healthy, affordable food
- Address economic disparities in Greater SESD, a historically marginalized community of color
Project New Village: Recent Accolades for Community-Led Work
We’re honored for the recognition we have recently received for our food justice work in Southeastern San Diego. These awards and nominations strengthen our commitment to our mission: to serve as a catalyst for resident-led, community-rooted experiences that…
01 2026 Legler Benbough Legacy Award
Ms. Diane Moss, Executive Director of Project New Village, awarded the Legler Benbough Legacy Award by RISE San Diego at their Leadership in Action Awards (ILIA) on October 12th, 2026.
02 Leading the Way
Project New Village to be honored with the Blue Shield Promise Leading the Way Award for Partnership Excellence on November 12th, 2026 in recognition for our longstanding commitment to expand food access.
03 Circular Systems Architect Award
Project New Village was nominated for the Circular Systems Architect Award by the Association of Compost Producers at the Compost Caravan October 21, 2026. PNV was nominated due to our community-oriented approach to healthy food access and local composting systems.
04 Dr. Jack Johnson Kimbrough Award
Ms. Diane Moss to be awarded the Dr. Jack Johnson Kimbrough Award at the Urban League of San Diego County Annual Awards Dinner December 3, 2026 for exemplary achievements in Health & Wellness and the community.
Buying a ticket to this event contributes to building The Village community food hub in Mt. Hope, expanding our network of hyper-local food growers and community growing spaces, creating greater accessibility to fresh local produce in our neighborhoods, and supporting local farms throughout San Diego.
A sponsorship to this event contributes to building The Village community food hub in Mt. Hope, expanding our network of hyper-local food growers and community growing spaces, creating greater accessibility to fresh local produce in our neighborhoods, and supporting local farms throughout San Diego. All of these efforts culminate into creating what we’re calling the Good Food District, our placemaking initiative in greater Southeastern San Diego that will transform once food-insecure neighborhoods into thriving, healthy, and resilient communities.
2025 Food Equity Awardees
We’ll be announcing the 2026 Food Equity Awardees soon, but join us in giving recognition to last year’s recipients.
The award recognizes community members whose active support and involvement in changing the food landscape in Southeastern San Diego embodies the spirit of Fannie Lou Hamer’s legacy. Whether through volunteerism, partnering on projects, or helping support access to good food throughout the neighborhoods of greater SESD, these wonderful individuals consistently and without hesitation give their time, talents, and resources for the greater good.
Our North Star
Fannie Lou Hamer was born on October 6, 1917 in Montgomery County, Mississippi, the 20th and last child of sharecroppers Lou Ella and James Townsend. She grew up in poverty, but rose from humble beginnings in the Mississippi Delta to become one of the most important, passionate, and powerful voices in the fight for human rights.
Mrs. Hamer succumbed to breast cancer in 1977, but not before leaving behind a legacy of activism that continues to resonate today. It is her legacy that has inspired and informed Project New Village’s current efforts to create an Equitable Food-Oriented Development project in Southeastern San Diego. Modeled after Mrs. Hamer’s Freedom Farm project, The Good Food District is a place-making effort centered on urban agriculture and creating access to healthy locally-sourced good food throughout our neighborhoods.
The following videos give great insight into how significant her contributions were to the civil rights movement, and her continued inspiration and presence in the work we do today.
