Happy New Year! In late 2019, Food Moxie welcomed six new (or in Liz Werthan’s case, returning) board members to their first official board meeting. They include Michael Clancy, Folasshade Laud-Hammond, Bob McWilliams, Jaime Shechtman, Bob Smith and Liz Werthan. We welcome them and their talents to the Food Moxie family.

Winter is a great time for engaging in growing, tasting, cooking and eating activities across our programs. Below are some of the winter events we’re preparing.

Work-readiness opportunities for youth:

• Our staff and board are supporting Career Day speaker activities for Saul High School students by helping recruit speakers from the fields of natural resource management, food science, horticulture and animal science.
• We’re currently recruiting a summer urban agriculture program coordinator who will supervise summer-stipended positions for youth.
• Our staff is in the process of coordinating entrepreneurial business planning opportunities for high school students.

Growing opportunities

• Staff members are developing curricula for upcoming farm and garden activities for the 2020 growing season. This includes crop planning and preparing seed orders with students.
• Winter is also the time for farmers to learn from other growers. Staff and students will participate in a number of winter farm conferences to increase knowledge around food production. We will also be hosting a number of workshops for area food producers.

Tasting and Cooking opportunities

• Staff are outlining curricula for upcoming seasonal cooking and tasting activities. Winter is a great time to focus on seasonally appropriate produce like citrus and storage vegetables (winter squash, root vegetables) in our cooking activities.
• We also like to celebrate! We are currently planning our Valentine’s Day celebrations (which include chocolate tastings), and our second annual Strawberry Festival, which will take place May 9 at Awbury Arboretum.

Our staff and board members finished up by promoting local food, cooking and gardening as a featured Eagles Charitable partner. We tabled in the Eagles Community Redzone on Dec. 9 before the Eagles-Cowboys game, handing out donated seed packets and information about Food Moxie’s and Weavers Way’s mission and how to become a Co-op member. Hundreds of people came through the Community Redzone area. Food Moxie Board Chair Tim Clair also had the good fortune to represent the partnership during a videoboard feature (see photo). Here’s to more opportunities in 2020!