Sowing Seeds of Change Urban Farm

Wildlife Wednesdays: The Lesser Goldfinch was spotted in our very own garden! 🦜 Fun fact: The lesser goldfinch has a sweet tooth for dandelions! These little birds love to snack on the seeds of dandelions and other weedy plants, playing a role in natural seed dispersal while enjoying their favorite treat. 🌿

We recently harvested some early girl tomatoes in our garden! Here’s a fun and refreshing recipe for an early girl tomato and avocado salad!🍴🍃

And the countdown begins!!!!

💚JOIN US AT RANCHO LOS CERRITOS FOR AN EPIC EVENT 💚
•
WE NEED Volunteers to assist us at our Sip & Savor, Mingle & Learn collaboration with Rancho Los Cerritos this Friday 8/23 starting at 4pm & ending at 8pm.
•
JOIN US for a fun evening helping our students showcase their skills making pizza & serving up delicious bites!
•
We need 2-3 volunteers to support our students & help run our information booth. BONUS: we feed our volunteers 😘🍕
•
If interested PLEASE DM US 🙏🙏

Mystery Plant Mondays: The Garden Zinnia! 🌸 Fun fact: Garden zinnias are not only beautiful, but they're also butterfly magnets! Their bright, vibrant blooms attract a variety of butterflies, making your garden a lively and colorful haven for these delicate pollinators. 🦋

Eat sustainably by increasing your intake of farm to table foods! Today we’ll tell you how to harvest and make your own delicious sunflower seeds! 🌻

Silly faces with some of our students! 🤪🌟 We hope everyone has a great Friday!

Throwback Thursday to when we collaborated with the Aquarium of the Pacific! 🐬

A flashback to our luncheon with .fresh back in April! With good eats thanks to 🪴🌟

Happy Thursday!☀️ We’re excited to collaborate with for a Sip and Savor, Mingle and Learn event on Friday, August 23rd from 5-7pm! Students will have the opportunity to showcase their skills, as well as enjoy delicious farm to table bites and refreshing beverages. All proceeds go to benefit both RLC and us at SSC!🪴It’s going to be such a fun evening, and we hope you can join us 🌟 Grab your tickets at the link in our bio! 🍕🥤

Meet Madeleine Thérèse Spencer! 🍓

“With dual Master's degrees in Counseling Psychology and Community Psychology, Liberation Psychology, Indigenous Psychology, and Eco-Psychology, my academic pursuits harmonize with hands-on community projects. I have led a business improvement district, created economic pipelines, power maps and citywide communication strategies, and I currently serve on the board of Community Engagement an artist and affordable housing nonprofit. Driven by a love for community, arts, culture, and sustainability, I look forward to working with Sowing Seeds of Change building an urban agrarian commons in Long Beach and sharing a vibrant mosaic of placemaking endeavors both encountered and deployed."

Meet Krista Wilder! 🌵

Wilder is a veteran educator for Long Beach Unified School District. She is the math department chair and runs a leadership program called Where Everybody Belongs (WEB). Krista has built programs on campus focusing on health and the nutritional needs of the community, as well as lead many clubs with an emphasis on fitness, mentorship and equity. She served as the Vice President of One Wish One Need, a local nonprofit assisting and connecting kids and families with resources to help meet their essential needs. In her spare time, you can find her camping and traveling with her two favorite people, her children.

Meet Jonathan Micklis! 🏖️

Micklis is currently involved in Development at California State University, Long Beach. Previously, he has worked for the largest non-profit organization fighting homelessness in Arizona and has supported adults with disabilities in Long Beach to find employment. While pursuing a Master’s in Behavioral Economics, he focused his thesis on developing ways for non-profits to increase client engagement within housing programs. He also holds a certificate in grant writing, awarded by The Non-Profit Partnership, which he has utilized to support local non-profits. He brings knowledge of development, grant writing, and program design to his role as a board member. Jonathan joins Sowing Seeds of Change with a profound trust in their mission and an eagerness to contribute to the organization's success!

Meet Stephanie El Tawil, our co-treasurer! 🐝

El Tawil serves as the Economic Development & Policy Manager for the Downtown Long Beach Alliance (DLBA). Before her arrival to DLBA, El Tawil’s previous roles included managing career and leadership development programs at the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management, Director of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville, and Project Manager for the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership. She received her MBA and MA from the University of Southern Indiana. If Stephanie is not out riding her bike, she’s watching a murder mystery, singing along to a musical, or traveling/shopping the coastline.

Meet Dalia Gonzales, our secretary! 💫

Gonzales was born and raised in Long Beach and has over 5 years of experience in environmental education and advocacy. She is currently a Customer Relations Manager at the City of Long Beach and leads education and outreach efforts. She has also led federal funded projects that promote green spaces for youth and their families. Dalia is passionate about serving her community and understands the important of youth environmental education for a brighter future.

Get to know Dina Feldman, our treasurer! 🥑

Dina is an immigrant of Mexico, a graduate of UCLA, and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) turned social entrepreneur and community builder. Dina is the founder of Feel Good Salsa (her former food brand) and Feel Good Salsa Kitchen in Long Beach,CA. Her love for cooking led her to walk away from her career of over 20 years and starting her farmers market business in November of 2018. After experiencing a myriad struggles and challenges with securing a commercial kitchen for her business, she was inspired to help other businesses. This led her to starting the first shared commercial kitchen facility in Long Beach, Feel Good Salsa Kitchen, where she helps other small food start ups grow their food business. And now her passion for doing good has led her to co-founding Sowing Seeds Of Change Urban Farm where she can use her entrepreneurial spirit, network of connections, and her skills as a BCBA to enrich the lives of Sowing Seeds of Change participants.

Get to know Lindsay Smith, our chair! 🪴

Lindsay is a graduate from CSULB with 10 years experience as a special education teacher in Long Beach Unified School District. Her passion for sustainability, community, and education led her to leave her career to co-found Sowing Seeds of Change. She is also the founder and owner of Greensmith Goodness that strives for GREENESS! This means she has a social mission to divert food waste by creating hand-crafted value added products from shared, gleaned and diverted food waste. Aside from being an educator turned entrepreneur, she remains very active in her community and local food system, building strong relationships that promote positive change. She sits on the advisory board of Long Beach Fresh, is a member of the LB Beekeepers club, a Leadership Long Beach Alumni, a CASFS Alumni (Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems), and is a Horticultural Therapist. Her vision is to continue to use her passions and skills in partnership with like-minded organizations to create a healthier and more equitable community in Long Beach and beyond.

July, you were amazing, but we’re excited to jump into August! Just want to pop in and let everyone know that our board members are ready to be announced! 🌻 Tune in for the next few days to get to know the passionate team we have here on our board at Sowing Seeds of Change. Hope everyone has a nice end of their week and let's make this month another great one! 💪🌴

Happy Sunday! Here's a photo of Sal and some awesome succulents we had up for sale at one of our events. 🌵☀️

Happy Friday! We need the help from our community! 🌎️ Looking for donations to help fund the summer camp enrollment for two kiddos. If you or anyone you know can donate anything, send it over to our venmo . For any questions, please feel free to DM. We thank you in advance for your generosity. 🫶

This we are appreciating the thriving bees in our garden as they work hard to pollinate! From honey bees to sweat bees, these guys are loving the blooming flowers! 🐝🌸

Thanks to for always spicing up our events with their delicious recipes! 🍃 This dish is from our Earth Fair back in June!🍴😋

Freshly picked flowers from our garden! These were used for our DIY flower crown workshop at our 4th Annual Earth Fair! 🌎️💐

Hi everyone! Just want to give you guys an update of some of the services we offer! More info will be posted regarding each of these, but for now feel free to send us a DM or visit our website! Enjoy your Sunday 🌻

Less than 2 weeks until our summer camp begins! There are some spots left— you can swipe left for more information! ⭐️ Click the link in bio for more information on how to enroll your kiddos! There will be a bunch of fun, educational activities such as cooking and gardening! 🌻🍃

Some photos from our Earth Fair on June 29th! It was such a fun turnout and we thank everyone who helped make this event as unforgettable as it was! 🥳🍃🌎

A huge thank you to the and ! This event was a huge success thanks to you guys! 🎉 ♻️

Thank you to our partner for helping us bring this event to life! Our 4th Annual Earth Fair was such a great turnout and we hope you all enjoyed! 🌻

Sustainable modes of traveling are encouraged tomorrow! ♻️ Whether its riding your bike, the bus, or ride sharing-- come ready to have a good time with us! 🥳🌸

Join us for an afternoon of fun activities this Saturday at the Earth Fair! 🌎️Featuring dried fruit garlands 🍊 You won't want to miss this workshop! 👏