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Santa Barbara County Food Action Network Holiday Newsletter

by Community Contributor • December 5, 2020 • Comments Off

Stay Home (and Eat Local)
for the Holidays

Are you looking for a safe, affordable, and healthy option for celebrating the holidays this year?

We are collaborating with Santa Barbara County farmers markets, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department and Edible Santa Barbara to celebrate this season, while supporting our local farmers, ranchers, fisherfolk, and food artisans during the pandemic. Together, we have created a “Stay Home (and Eat Local) for the Holidays” Shopping Guide, which includes in-season recipes by Edible Santa Barbara to plan your fresh, beautiful and nutritious holiday meal. The guide also features suggested budgets based on the size of your small gathering; sample menus with basic preparations; and a shopping list with an easy to follow market map to use at your local farmers market!

How to Participate:

Shop at a participating farmers market during the 2020 holiday season.
Check in at the farmers market info booth and grab a shopping guide (or download a guide in English or Español) – includes suggested budgets for small gatherings, sample menu, shopping list with easy-to-follow market map, and recipes by Edible Santa Barbara magazine.
Explore the market and discover delicious and affordable in-season produce to showcase on your holiday table.
Ask farmers market staff if you need assistance finding an ingredient, or want advice on recipes or substitutions.
Enjoy a locally sourced holiday meal with your household.

No matter what you decide to make, you’ll be supporting our local food system while feeding your household a fresh and nutritious meal! From our table to yours – stay home, be safe, and eat well this holiday season.

Local Farms & Local Food Video

We are elevating the food actions of individuals, organizations, and enterprises in the County through our storytelling video series. The second video of the series speaks to regenerative agriculture and food relocalization efforts within the Cuyama Valley by Condor’s Hope, a dry-farmed vineyard and olive farm.

Local Food Action Series: Condor’s Hope – Agroecology & Dry-Farming
a film by Isaac Hernandez, Mercury Press International.

PPE Donations for Local Farmworkers

Our local farmers are hard at work in order to bring you fresh, locally grown food this holiday season! Give back to these amazing essential workers by donating PPE to the Santa Barbara County’s Farmworker Working Group, a local network comprised of various organizations and agricultural workers throughout North and Mid County including: Mixteco Ind?ígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP), Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), SBC Department of Public Health, and Family Services Agency, among others, working to help reduce the spread of the virus among SBC’s local farmworkers.

Items needed include:

face masks
hand sanitizer
gloves
Clorox/disinfectant wipes

Items can be dropped at MICOP, 108 S. Pine St., Santa Maria, CA 93458. Donations will be distributed as needed by the Farmworker Working Group.

Additional Funding
Available for Ag Producers

Applications for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) 2.0 are now open! CFAP 2.0 provides assistance for agricultural producers who continue to face market disruptions and associated costs because of COVID-19.

Don’t miss this opportunity to receive funding assistance! USDA is accepting applications until December 11, 2020. Click for more information on the application process and to apply.

APPLY NOW