Novato Community Garden Project

PROJECT OVERVIEW
Community gardens provide people from diverse backgrounds with access to land for raising fruits, vegetables, and flowers for themselves and others. These spaces allow people to reconnect with the land and the natural systems from which our food is grown. In addition to a reconnection with the land, community gardens foster a sense of community when neighbors meet neighbors and work together to nurture the garden space. Just as a garden thrives on diversity, so too does a community. These garden spaces bring together people from diverse religious, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds, as well as people of different ages and abilities. There are multiple health benefits associated with community gardens including, physical exercise, increased nutrition and mental health. Community gardens foster a culture of service among members that work together to plant, nurture and harvest food for themselves and others.

Many Novato residents living in apartments or condominiums lack access to healthy fresh food and recreational opportunities. Among these residents we find some of the most vulnerable members of our community such as low-income families and individuals, seniors, recent immigrants, and young children. These individuals are disproportionately impacted by food insecurity, a lack of nutrient-rich foods, overweight/obesity and/or related health problems. Community gardens offer a sustainable community-based strategy for addressing these issues by providing people with access to land to grow fruits and vegetables to supplement their diet.

The Novato Community Garden project aims to increase the availability of and access to community gardens to promote healthy eating and active living as the norm in our community. The project is particularly committed to targeting, engaging, and including the abovementioned diverse community members as key to our success in this endeavor.
Community gardens represent the greatest opportunity to bring together diverse members of the community to support each other, reconnect with natural systems, reap the rewards of increased nutrition and exercise that a garden provides, for the least amount of money relative to other projects.

THE NOVATO COMMUNITY GARDEN COMMITTEE
The Novato Community Garden Committee was formed in July 2006 and is comprised of 6-8 volunteer committee members and an Advisory Board. Committee members bring diverse interests and experience together with the common goal of building a community garden for the people of Novato. (See Committee Member Bios ) Since July 2006, the committee has met on a regular basis to create and refine our vision and to craft a strategic plan. We held an open meeting to assess public interest in February 2007, with nearly 40 people in attendance. We have sought ways to leverage existing resources and partner with related organizations. In addition, we have met with other community garden representatives and toured several local community gardens.

WHY NOVATO NEEDS COMMUNITY GARDENS
Novato is the northernmost city in Marin County, compromising approximately 28 square miles. According to the 2000 Census Data, the population of Novato was 47,630, which broke down to approximately 76.3% White, 13.1% Hispanic, 5.1% Asian, 1.9% Black and 3.6% all other races. The Marin Independent Journal recently reported that Novato is the fastest growing city in Marin, thanks in large part to developments at Hamilton. This has raised the population of Novato to approximately 52,246 people as of January 1, 2007. While the City of Novato enjoys a great deal of open space and parks, there are currently no community gardens available to the citizens of Novato.

In 1856, Francis DeLong (left) and Joseph Sweetser (right) formed a partnership and bought Rancho de Novato. Upon finding the climate favorable, the pair set out to plant one of the largest orchards in the world. Fruit grown in Novato was shipped throughout the United States and to several other countries.

In 1879, Sweetser sold most of his share of the Novato Rancho to his partner, DeLong. When Francis DeLong died in 1885, he left his estate to his son, Frank Coye DeLong.
The Home and Farm Company purchased the Black Point Ranch from Frank DeLong in 1888 and divided the 6,000 acres into lots and sold them as business and residential sites. That was the "new town of Novato".

According to Jim McNern, a native of Novato and President of the Novato Historical Guild, “Novato was an agricultural community with small dairies and chicken ranches and orchards dotting the landscape”.

Today, most of those dairies, ranches and orchards are now subdivisions.

SUSTAINABILITY AND SOCIAL EQUITY
In October of 2003, the Novato Citizens Advisory Committee produced a Community Strategic Plan titled “Novato 2028 Visions and Strategies – A Plan for Novato’s Future and How To Get There”. The plan was the result of more than 25 people working for over a year to produce a tool that would guide decision makers towards providing and maintaining an outstanding quality of life for the residents of Novato.
This community plan stated “The success of the community in the future will be a collaborative effort of informed citizens, local government, the business community, education resources, nonprofit agencies, service organizations and homeowner associations”.

Section II of the community plan focuses on a sustainable community and includes issues related to the Natural Environment, Economy and Social Equity. Vision 2(e) specifically recommends, “Develop and implement policies to preserve, restore, and enhance historical and local agriculture around Novato”.

Developing a network of community gardens offer a unique opportunity for citizens, nonprofit agencies, faith communities, education resources, and local government to collaborate in support of a more sustainable community. A network of community gardens could also prove to be the first step in restoring a small amount of local agriculture to Novato.

The changing demographics of Novato, coupled with the alarming rise in childhood obesity rates make the need for access to land even more critical. Research shows that a child’s taste for fresh fruits and vegetables is developed early. Community gardens provide access to land in order to grow fruits and vegetables to supplement a family’s nutritional needs.

OUR MISSION & VISION
"Growing A Healthy Community, From The Ground Up"
The Mission of the Novato Community Garden Association is to build and support a network of community gardens that enable people from diverse backgrounds to grow food and foster community in a sustainable manner.

The Vision of the NCGC is a healthy, sustainable community where people from diverse backgrounds come together to reconnect with the land, grow food for themselves and others, and cultivate a truly integrated community. A series of local community gardens provide the foundation for growing a healthy community.

The Novato Community Garden Committee is a sponsored project of MarinLink, a non-profit 501c3 organization that offers groups in Marin County opportunities to work in partnership to leverage resources and create collaborative solutions. MarinLink is committed to linking key service areas including: health, sustainability; education; spirituality; business programs and service.

The leadership of MarinLink includes Nancy Boyce, RN, MA, a resident of Marin County for more than 30 years. Founder and President of Marin Link, Nancy has been honored as a Public Health Hero by Marin County’s Department of Health & Human Services for her work as a school nurse, founding the Marin Integrative Healing Network, and creating the Pre-School Health Resource Manual. She has served on numerous boards and councils in Marin and is committed to creating community connections for the people and programs of Marin County.

Mary O’Mara, MBA, a native of Marin County, is Executive Director and Co-Founder of MarinLink. A former teacher and school administrator, she is passionate about contributing to programs that serve the needs of children and families.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR A COMMUNITY GARDEN
“I am so happy to see community gardens growing in Novato. I believe they will yield a healthy harvest of renewed community spirit.”
Judy Arnold
Marin County Supervisor
P.S. I love fried green tomatoes.
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"I and many others are so excited about the potential of a community garden in Novato! I read about other community gardens in cities around the Bay Area and have been wide-eyed at the work they do. They bring people together, teach long term care of plants (and land and beneficial insects), and how to eat what you grow. It brings old and young together in one place. Now that's a community!

I hope we see a wide range of neighbors, from grandparents to professionals to kids, of course. What a wonderful way for Novato to begin to "turn green"! Perhaps schools and struggling families could receive crops, and tours could be done as we become an example for the county. The possibilities seem endless.

The Novato Mother's Club recently started a Gardening Group which I am currently heading. In my personal opinion the Gardening Group would welcome the additional land to sow and would be happy to learn more about organics, mulching, composting, etc. My spear-head group, Alleyway Allies, could use cuttings and trimmings from what are sure to be bountiful plots. I look forward to the announcement of Opening Day!!!!"
Stephanie Kline & family
Novato Resident
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"The Marin Farmers Market Association, a 24-year old community institution that has served to connect the Marin County community with the freshest, locally and regionally grown delicious produce from small farms, is pleased to support the efforts of the Novato Community to establish a community garden. With adult and childhood diabetes and obesity on the rise, as well as our being faced with a significant environmental crisis due to how large scale agriculture is degrading our planet, it is so encouraging to have local efforts such as the Novato Community Garden emerging to be a positive force in our community. Gardens like these impact more than just the physical space and the people directly involved. They bring about a positive focus on things that really matter – health, community, and taking care of the planet."
Leah Smith
Director of Outreach
Marin County Farmers Markets, www.marinfarmersmarkets.org
Bringing Farmers and Communities together in the Bay Area for 23 years
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"Research abounds on the benefits gardening has on the young, old and everyone in between. Yet for many of us, me included, our housing situation doesn’t allow us to garden at our place of residence –yards are too small and/or Homeowner’s policies prohibit it – quite ironic that these policies encourage human energy and natural resources be given to maintaining grass but not food!

Prior to moving to Novato, I was a member of community gardening in Oakland and New Hampshire. I know first hand the benefits community gardening has on individuals, neighborhoods and communities: better nutritional, physical and mental health; a greater sense of community and a greater sense of responsibility to community; a greater understanding and appreciation for food and the precious resources that are needed to grow it; neighborhood development and beautification; diversity of plant and wildlife; community education (organic practices and pest control, waste minimization, recycling, composting and mulching).

Community gardens can serve as a catalyst for neighborhood development, beautification, recreation, therapy, and food production. Please move ahead with this missing and vital community service."
Jane McCoy
Novato Resident
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"Community gardens produce food, create community, and raise awareness about local agriculture and the connection between healthy soil and a healthy society. I cannot think of a better and more important use of a small plot of land."
Helge Hellberg
Executive Director
Marin Organic
www.MarinOrganic.org
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“If you ask most kids today where their food originates from, you’d probably get the name of some fast food chain or mega-supermarket or possibly Spongebob’s Crusty Crab shack. While our kids are becoming more and more electronically obsessed and overweight, the connection of food coming from the land is a way of life that is sadly and rapidly disappearing. That’s why every town needs a community garden! Not only will a community garden in Novato beautify a public space, but it will make a great outdoor classroom to teach kids and even adults about where “real” food comes. Community gardens improve the quality of life not only for the gardeners but for the entire community. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “ To forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves.” I say, “Forget about what’s on TV and go play in the dirt!”
Annie Spiegelman, the dirt diva
Local author, Master Gardener, garden columnist
www.dirtdiva.com
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"Sustainable community gardens are important for community development because they can be used to teach a wide variety of people the importance of a balanced life style that includes gardening, fruits and vegetables in the diet, exercise and connection to the land. Community gardens also build ties in the community and protect and or restore the environment."
Fernando Agudelo - Silva, Ph. D.
Professor Biology / Env. Landscaping
College of Marin
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"A community garden in Novato could be a joint and shared activity for the entire family, even intergenerationally. It can be an outdoor, healthy family focus that includes planning together, planting, tending, reaping, enjoying. Young children can gain respect and tenderness toward Nature, and older kids and teens can develop skills, responsibility and understanding about reaping rewards from their labors that will prove valuable in later life.

As a child, I was involved with a community garden in Brooklyn, NY. It was an experience that stayed with me throughout my life. The pleasure of the toil and the exhilaration of seeing food items and beauty grow from seeds began for me as a young man. There is no better-tasting food than that which one grows himself.

A garden would create a sense of pride on a personal level which spills over into pride in our community. Having been involved with high school age children for many years in Novato, my wife and I have repeatedly heard similar laments - "Boring Novato." My own children felt the dearth of attractions and things for them and their friends to do in our lovely town. A garden would add an area of interest and possibilities for kids of this age and genre."
David Bedar
Novato Resident
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"Childhood obesity and the consequential health risks such as Type II Diabetes are increasing in our communities at an alarming rate. Health and wellness education for our students, parents and the community at large is fundamental in addressing this crisis. The National School Meals program can assist with administering wellness education as "Total School Nutrition Environments" are established in schools. The Community garden can support our goals in educating the families about the importance of eating fresh, better yet, growing what you eat. As we develop and grow school gardens, community gardens can provide further support and outreach. In addition to growing healthier foods, community gardens can grow healthier people "
Miguel Villarreal
Director Food and Nutritional Services
Novato Unified School District
San Rafael City Schools
www.nusd.org
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"Novato will reap manifold benefits from the community gardens coming soon thanks to the legwork of a determined and visionary group of volunteers. Community gardens heal the individual, nurture the greater community and make the healthy benefits of organic gardening available to all. Community gardeners make new friends, learn from experienced gardeners and pass on lifetimes of experience from many cultures to a new generation.
Imagine standing in your garden, eating delicious food that you have hand-raised and harvested at its moment of perfection. Discover or renew your relationship with time, weather and the seasons. Get up close and personal as you learn the life cycles of the interesting and beneficial small creatures that share our earth. Experience the joy and pride of raising beautiful flowers from small seeds or seedlings. The joys of community gardening and its lessons stay with you always."
Jeanne Santangelo, Novato Resident
The Lazy Gardener weekly columnist, Novato Advance
www.lazygardener.org

"Sustainable Novato's work involves developing a healthy eco-system in Novato, integrated with economic vitality and social equity for all residents. A sustainable community garden can help address these matters by providing a place to plant and harvest for those who might not otherwise have the opportunity. This community effort will reach people from diverse social, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. The act of gardening will also bring awareness of our limited natural resources and the responsibilities we have in keeping our land—our earth—healthy for current and future generations. Last but not least, what a wonderful way for our children and their families to learn the value and joy of gardening and connecting with nature. Sustainable Novato is pleased to support this grass roots effort to benefit the community of Novato."
Annan Paterson
President (2007), Sustainable Novato
www.SustainableNovato.org