Monday, April 27, 2009

Bayview backyards growing food


What happens when a group of college students living in the same dorm decide they want to do something off-campus and meaningful? Last Saturday, one such group from University of San Francisco swept through Bayview to help out the Quesada Gardens Initiative.

Devon Davey was the organizer on the USF end of the day. She brought 17 students with her to break through the morning "yawns" and remake six backyards for a second year of food production.

James Ross, BAYBLOOM Project Manager, organized things from the QGI end, and made sure mulch was on hand for the volunteers to remake the gardens.

It's all part of the BAYBLOOM Bayview Backyard Gardens project, a partnership of QGI and USF, funded by SF Environment. Local gardeners have been growing food for a year now, and wanted an assist to get their gardens going for the new season.

Tony Tarket, also known as the Green Goatee, gave a demonstration (pictured) of planting techniques. He answered questions for new gardeners and volunteers who needed to know what they should do this time of year in a neighborhood that is favored by the sun.

A lunch for the workers and some special visitors was held on Quesada Avenue. Sergio De La Torres, a filmmaker and professor from USF came by, as did a group of teens and their mentors from another great Bayview Footprints Network member group: Old Skool Cafe.

As if that weren't enough, yet another USF volunteer team also stopped by to work on a new Bayview Footprints Local News format... Stay tuned!

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