Posts

Episode 9 – Survive & Thrive: Food Justice in the Crosshairs

May 30, 2025

PROJECT: Good Food

Episode 9 – Survive & Thrive: Food Justice in the Crosshairs

This special town hall inspired episode was recorded live on May 23, 2025 at the Project New Village office in Southeastern San Diego. Featuring guest speakers and comments from local residents and community leaders, this episode takes a deep dive into understanding the current political and economic realities impacting nonprofits working in the food justice realm. We share a lengthy conversation on the impact of federal funding issues, funding strategies and risk management for food projects, and strategies for navigating uncertainty as we move forward.

Hosted by Anthony Avalos and N. Diane Moss, this episode features a brief presentation by Dr. Derrick Robinson, the UC ANR and UC Cooperative Extension San Diego Urban Agriculture, Food Systems, and Environmental Issues Advisor, and guest speaker Elly Brown, the Co-Executive Director for San Diego Food System Alliance, and Co-Chair of the Community-Centric Fundraising San Diego Chapter (CCF).

Dr. Derrick Robinson

Elly Brown

PROJECT: Good Food now on YouTube

Now streaming:

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Episode 8 – Treedom Cooperative: Creating Space to Connect with the Planet

April 22, 2025

PROJECT: Good Food

Episode 8 – Treedom Cooperative: Creating Space to Connect with the Planet

In this special Earth Day episode, we have the privilege of speaking with Jordyn Garfein and Christopher De Guzmanof Treedom Cooperative, a San Diego based nonprofit promoting a permaculture style approach to regenerative urban agriculture. Their extensive world travels and knowledge of water harvesting inform their work of transforming spaces into productive ecosystems.

Hosts Brandon S. Johnson and N. Diane Moss share a fascinating conversation that dives deep into Treedom’s mission to empower our community with educational resources and environmentally conscious practices. An Earth Day-worthy episode!

Now Available:

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Earth Day Celebration April 19th

April 2, 2025

Join us for a special garden gathering that celebrates the community and the planet!

Our Earth Day Celebration will be taking place Saturday, April 19th at Mt. Hope Community Garden from 9am to 1pm. This family friendly event features garden activities, arts & crafts, music, food and drinks, plus we’ll be giving away over 300 fruit and vegetable plants as well as 100 bags of soil! Ready to start that spring garden?  WE HAVE YOU COVERED!  Please join us in celebrating the planet!

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Episode 7: Sovereignty & Solidarity, Protecting the Rights of Food Workers

March 31, 2025

PROJECT: Good Food

Episode 7 – Sovereignty & Solidarity – Protecting the Rights of Food Workers

In observance of Cesar Chavez Day, we’re honored to have Todd Walters, President of United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 135, join us as we explore worker’s rights within our food systems. The UFCW Local 135 has a rich history in San Diego, and currently represents over 13,000 workers throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties and consists of workers in various fields that include grocery & retail, meat & sugar processing, and cannabis.

Join hosts Brandon Johnson and N. Diane Moss as we explore what workplace justice really looks like for food workers, and how the growing urban farming market fits into the fight for equity.

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Episode 6: George Washington Carver, Agricultural Waymaker

February 28, 2025

PROJECT: Good Food

Episode 6 – George Washington Carver, Agricultural Waymaker

Inventor, painter, pianist, and one of the most prominent black scientists of the early 20th century, George Washington Carver was truly a brilliant man who was ahead of his time. In this episode, hosts Brandon Johnson and N. Diane Moss take a look at the remarkable life of this man and how his incredible ingenuity, work ethic, and dedication to sustainability and being self-sufficient led to over 300 inventions that continue to impact agriculture and farming practices today.

Joining our host are two very special guests: Ian Moreland, Garden Manager and Community Gardening Programs Lead for Project New Village, and Rodney West, Manager of the People’s Produce Mobile Farmers Market. Both men are Master Gardeners in San Diego and are dedicated to urban agriculture and the benefits of producing and consuming fresh, hyper-local foods in our neighborhoods.

Now Available:

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Mardi Gras in the Garden

February 10, 2025

Celebrate Fat Tuesday at the Garden!

Tuesday, March 4th, 6pm to 8pm, Mt. Hope Community Garden

Our annual Mardi Gras in the garden is back! Join us for a festive gathering in the garden celebrating Fat Tuesday and the Mt. Hope Community Garden space! Featuring live music, complimentary beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), delicious food, and New Orleans-inspired dancing and festivities – all in a beautiful nighttime garden setting! Don’t miss this friend-raiser event!

TICKETS - $20
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Episode 5: Community Action – Resident Participation in the GFD

January 31, 2025

PROJECT: Good Food

Episode 5 – Community Action: Resident Participation in the GFD

What does community participation look like within the Good Food District (GFD)? In utilizing an equitable food-oriented development (EFOD) model, resident-led community action in our local food system is a key component in creating food sovereignty – but what exactly does resident involvement in a food system mean?

In this episode, we highlight community action in the GFD by interviewing residents of Southeastern San Diego to find out how they actively participate in our local food system, and how their journey with good food intersects with Project New Village and the Good Food District.

Hosted by Anthony Avalos, this episode features N. Diane Moss, Francine Maxwell, Roxanne Kilbourne, Lucia Davis, Dolores Johnson, and students from Morse High School.

Now Available:

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MLK Day of Service Jan.18th, 2025

January 3, 2025

Contributing to Dr. King’s Vision of The Beloved Community

January is the time of year for reflection and re-commitment to bringing good into the world. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. popularized the term, “The Beloved Community” during his lifetime of activism. His vision of the Beloved Community was a community in which everyone is cared for, absent of poverty, hunger, and hate.

We at Project New Village embrace his vision in our work. The Good Food District is a community driven effort, developed by Project New Village, a non-profit, serving as the backbone organization for a cross-sector collaboration of partners to do regenerative place making in food insecure neighborhoods in Southeastern San Diego (SESD). The intent of our collective impact is to create food-oriented developments, build upon existing assets and securing needed resources, and to support a strong sense of community and infrastructure for an improved neighborhood-based food system chain. 

Project New Village has begun to take steps towards dismantling the historical impact of racism and moving forward with an equitable vision/plan for our community food system. Our goal of improving fresh food access in SESD is part of a broad-based movement to building social equity giving way to healthy neighborhoods.

On Saturday, Jan 18, 2025 from 9am to 12pm Project New Village will host our annual MLK Day of Service at the Mt. Hope Community Garden, 4269 Market Street, San Diego CA 92102. We invite our community to join us for a community workday where we gather to plant seeds of thought and actions for the new year. This is an inclusive event for all ages, featuring  cultural expressions and refreshments.

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Episode 4: Defining the Good Food District

December 20, 2024

PROJECT: Good Food

Episode 4 – Defining the Good Food District

This episode takes a deep dive into the definition of the Good Food District – what it represents, understanding the regional impacts, and the importance of placemaking within the context of building food sovereignty in food insecure neighborhoods.

Hosted by Anthony Avalos, this episode features the illustrious N. Diane Moss and an in-depth interview with the ever impressive Sona Desai, the Co-Executive Director at the San Diego Food System Alliance and currently leads the Local Food Economy Lab. For over 25 years, Sona has been part of the movement to build a more sustainable and equitable food system, and is deeply committed to supporting small-scale farmers, especially Black and Brown farmers.

Now Available:

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Our Winter Solstice Celebration Dec.21st

December 12, 2024

Join us for a Winter Solstice Urban Odyssey on Market Street!

Instead of our normal Community Work Day on the third Saturday of the month, we have a VERY special event planned for our community on December 21st! Please join us for our Winter Solstice Celebration, what we’re calling an Urban Odyssey on Market Street as we invite attendees to visit our new Community Wellness Garden (4800 Block of Market St. 92102).

We’ll begin at 9am at the Mt. Hope Community Garden, then guests can either walk or ride on our provided shuttle to the new garden space where we’ll have an ancestral acknowledgement, some wellness and hands-on activities, plus snacks and refreshments. Then we’ll journey back to the Mt. Hope Community Garden where Tree San Diego will be distributing 100 FREE TREES to community members! Let’s celebrate the solstice and commemorate this momentous occasion together at our new community growing space!

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