On the first Thursday of every month at the Community Settlement Association in Eastside Riverside, garden club members gather to participate in a monthly club meeting with CalFresh Healthy Living, UC's Nutrition Educator Itzel Palacios-Sanchez. Members shared that participating in the garden club has given them a community engagement opportunity to build new relationships and learn skills they take home to help educate their families.
On December 5, 2019, Itzel invited the Master Gardener Mike Horak to present on how to prune fruit trees. CSA has several fruit trees and some are not currently producing quality fruits. CSA garden club members had the opportunity to ask questions and get advice from the fruit tree expert. After Mike's engaging and informative presentation, CSA garden club members gained the knowledge and confidence to properly prune the fruit trees and protect their trees from diseases such as the Asian citrus psyllid.
Afterward, club members celebrated the holiday season with a family day potluck. Members brought food and shared their homemade dishes, including holiday favorites such as pozole, atole de guayaba, arroz con leche and buñuelos.
For 2020, CSA club members will continue to acquire garden skills to sustain their personal garden beds at CSA as they make new friends and volunteer in their local community garden. They hope to grow enough fresh produce to supplement the weekly food distribution at CSA.
