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city sprouts 2019 season reflections Internship Programming Sustaining communities through gardening since 1995 1
about city sprouts our Mission To cultivate healthy communities and sustainable equitable food systems through gardening education and youth employment our goals Increase availability of fresh and locally grown produce in our community Educate the community about gardening nutrition sustainability and healthy lifestyle choices Provide employment opportunities Build community through gardening Our vision We envision a community that is empowered to sustainably grow eat provide and promote healthy local foods Our larger vision is to work with the community to build omaha city sprouts 2 local food systems improve community health empower neighborhoods and strengthen economic viability and sustainability 3
about city sprouts our Mission To cultivate healthy communities and sustainable equitable food systems through gardening education and youth employment our goals Increase availability of fresh and locally grown produce in our community Educate the community about gardening nutrition sustainability and healthy lifestyle choices Provide employment opportunities Build community through gardening Our vision We envision a community that is empowered to sustainably grow eat provide and promote healthy local foods Our larger vision is to work with the community to build omaha city sprouts 2 local food systems improve community health empower neighborhoods and strengthen economic viability and sustainability 3
education center 4002 seward st Donated to City Sprouts in 2005 the century old pink house on the corner of 40th and Seward Streets serves as our Education Center market stand Each Saturday morning throughout the summer our Urban Farming Interns host an on site Market Stand For sale you will find farm fresh produce eggs flowers honey and preserved jams and jellies chicken coop Visited by passersby school children and neighbors the Chicken Coop is a City Sprouts favorite We have 12 breeds of chickens who lay eggs of all colors from brown to green little free library Pantry Since 2017 our Little Free Library Pantry has been inviting our gardeners and neighbors to share their abundance and enjoy a good garden read aquaponics Constructed by 2017 interns in the basement of our Education Center the system houses tilapia and a grow bed with lights Aquaponics is a water based system that circulates water through a growing medium to provide nutrients to plants through a tank that supports fish Cob Oven New in 2018 our cob oven was constructed by natural builder Jim Schalles and is the focal point of our monthly potlucks and other celebrations in the garden 4 5
education center 4002 seward st Donated to City Sprouts in 2005 the century old pink house on the corner of 40th and Seward Streets serves as our Education Center market stand Each Saturday morning throughout the summer our Urban Farming Interns host an on site Market Stand For sale you will find farm fresh produce eggs flowers honey and preserved jams and jellies chicken coop Visited by passersby school children and neighbors the Chicken Coop is a City Sprouts favorite We have 12 breeds of chickens who lay eggs of all colors from brown to green little free library Pantry Since 2017 our Little Free Library Pantry has been inviting our gardeners and neighbors to share their abundance and enjoy a good garden read aquaponics Constructed by 2017 interns in the basement of our Education Center the system houses tilapia and a grow bed with lights Aquaponics is a water based system that circulates water through a growing medium to provide nutrients to plants through a tank that supports fish Cob Oven New in 2018 our cob oven was constructed by natural builder Jim Schalles and is the focal point of our monthly potlucks and other celebrations in the garden 4 5
gardens our community gardens CITY SPROUTS COMMUNITY GARDEN LOCATED 40TH FRANKLIN STREETS City Sprouts Community Garden is the taproot of our organization and has served our community since 1995 With 45 raised beds families come together to garden and grow a healthier community We work with over 1000 volunteers each year to maintain the garden and to make the space a welcoming environment for all who visit It is also home to our Little Sprouts youth garden program and host to a variety of workshops throughout the seasons CITY SPROUTS SOUTH COMMUNITY GARDEN LOCATED 19TH N STREETS In 2015 community activists gathered together to change the Dorothy Patach Environmental Area from a dumping site to a garden and community destination City Sprouts South seeks to provide a hub for the community to grow together and support a healthy Omaha In 2018 City Sprouts South secured a temporary education center one block south of the garden site 6 7
gardens our community gardens CITY SPROUTS COMMUNITY GARDEN LOCATED 40TH FRANKLIN STREETS City Sprouts Community Garden is the taproot of our organization and has served our community since 1995 With 45 raised beds families come together to garden and grow a healthier community We work with over 1000 volunteers each year to maintain the garden and to make the space a welcoming environment for all who visit It is also home to our Little Sprouts youth garden program and host to a variety of workshops throughout the seasons CITY SPROUTS SOUTH COMMUNITY GARDEN LOCATED 19TH N STREETS In 2015 community activists gathered together to change the Dorothy Patach Environmental Area from a dumping site to a garden and community destination City Sprouts South seeks to provide a hub for the community to grow together and support a healthy Omaha In 2018 City Sprouts South secured a temporary education center one block south of the garden site 6 7
programs for all ages little sprouts ages 3 7 years old Little Sprouts a free summer youth garden program hosted at City Sprouts and City Sprouts South engages our youngest gardeners From planting seeds to an end of season harvest party there is something for everyone garden to table middle school Garden to Table provides after school programming at Lewis and Clark Middle School and King Science Magnet Middle School Topics covered range from starting seeds to preserving the harvest and everything in between Growing gardeners workshop series HIGHSCHOOL ADULT Presented in collaboration with The Big Garden the Growing educational programs 8 Gardeners Workshop Series offers four seasons of handson workshops that feature skills and techniques for every gardener and urban farmer All workshops are free or lowcost and no one is turned away due to inability to pay 9
programs for all ages little sprouts ages 3 7 years old Little Sprouts a free summer youth garden program hosted at City Sprouts and City Sprouts South engages our youngest gardeners From planting seeds to an end of season harvest party there is something for everyone garden to table middle school Garden to Table provides after school programming at Lewis and Clark Middle School and King Science Magnet Middle School Topics covered range from starting seeds to preserving the harvest and everything in between Growing gardeners workshop series HIGHSCHOOL ADULT Presented in collaboration with The Big Garden the Growing educational programs 8 Gardeners Workshop Series offers four seasons of handson workshops that feature skills and techniques for every gardener and urban farmer All workshops are free or lowcost and no one is turned away due to inability to pay 9
Decatur TFO Decatur urban farm located 40th Decatur streets Comprised of several formerly vacant lots the land now serves as the primary campus for our Urban Farming Internship where our Interns plant cultivate and harvest annual vegetables The land is also home to a fruit orchard a 1000 gallon rain barrel and rain garden a hoop house and one acre that is farmed by immigrant families in the neighborhood Truck farm omaha Truck Farm Omaha TFO a program of City Sprouts is a traveling education program Thanks to the support of our community members and Whole Cities Foundation we were able to update TFO from our old 1975 Chevy to a newer Toyota in 2018 This is a great program that teaches kids how fun farming and healthy food can be engages them in thinking about where food comes from and gets them excited about growing food themselves 10 11
Decatur TFO Decatur urban farm located 40th Decatur streets Comprised of several formerly vacant lots the land now serves as the primary campus for our Urban Farming Internship where our Interns plant cultivate and harvest annual vegetables The land is also home to a fruit orchard a 1000 gallon rain barrel and rain garden a hoop house and one acre that is farmed by immigrant families in the neighborhood Truck farm omaha Truck Farm Omaha TFO a program of City Sprouts is a traveling education program Thanks to the support of our community members and Whole Cities Foundation we were able to update TFO from our old 1975 Chevy to a newer Toyota in 2018 This is a great program that teaches kids how fun farming and healthy food can be engages them in thinking about where food comes from and gets them excited about growing food themselves 10 11
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meet the interns Our greatest crop of the season is our wonderful team of Urban Farm Interns City Sprouts and City Sprouts South provided employment for 16 young adults over the summer of 2019 Interns learned skills related to urban farming culinary arts financial literacy education nutrition and community and team building The interns reflect on what they have learned this season and their stories are on the following pages Alauna Horne Northwest highschool 17 Alauna loves learning and gaining new skills through the internship She likes working outside and enjoyed experiencing the whole process of planting and harvesting vegetables We re proud of Alauna s progress as not only a great team player but also an energetic and charismatic leader 14 cristian stroud Wayne State 23 This is the second year Cris has been a summer intern with City Sprouts He s working on paying for his Wayne State College tuition as he aspires to be a music producer He enjoyed working outside and getting to know the other interns His favorite vegetable is spinach Alex nsengiyumva eh doh pah Creighton prep 22 Northwest highschool 21 Alex liked working at the internship because he enjoys being outside and staying active He thought learning about insect pests that are bad for plants was cool and he really enjoyed when the interns cooked and ate together on Wednesdays His favorite vegetable is a carrot because they re crunchy and orange and that s a fire combination This is also Eh Doh Paw s second year as a City Sprouts Intern She s enjoyed learning about the chickens making jam and harvesting She loves cooking and her favorite meal she prepared as a team was the fried rice She is a great team player and we enjoyed having her in the program 15
meet the interns Our greatest crop of the season is our wonderful team of Urban Farm Interns City Sprouts and City Sprouts South provided employment for 16 young adults over the summer of 2019 Interns learned skills related to urban farming culinary arts financial literacy education nutrition and community and team building The interns reflect on what they have learned this season and their stories are on the following pages Alauna Horne Northwest highschool 17 Alauna loves learning and gaining new skills through the internship She likes working outside and enjoyed experiencing the whole process of planting and harvesting vegetables We re proud of Alauna s progress as not only a great team player but also an energetic and charismatic leader 14 cristian stroud Wayne State 23 This is the second year Cris has been a summer intern with City Sprouts He s working on paying for his Wayne State College tuition as he aspires to be a music producer He enjoyed working outside and getting to know the other interns His favorite vegetable is spinach Alex nsengiyumva eh doh pah Creighton prep 22 Northwest highschool 21 Alex liked working at the internship because he enjoys being outside and staying active He thought learning about insect pests that are bad for plants was cool and he really enjoyed when the interns cooked and ate together on Wednesdays His favorite vegetable is a carrot because they re crunchy and orange and that s a fire combination This is also Eh Doh Paw s second year as a City Sprouts Intern She s enjoyed learning about the chickens making jam and harvesting She loves cooking and her favorite meal she prepared as a team was the fried rice She is a great team player and we enjoyed having her in the program 15
jailaiyah rouse keegan sullivan Bryan highschool 20 Mercy highschool 20 Jailaiyah liked the positive environment and diversity that City Sprouts had to offer so she came back this summer for a second year She felt like she wasn t just making an impact in her environment but her community as well She is proud of her improvement in plant identification and she tried beets for the first time and really liked them This was Keegan s second summer with City Sprouts She wanted to expand her knowledge and fill in any gaps that she may have missed last year She really enjoyed learning how to can vegetables and make jams She also liked going on a field trip to Big Muddy Urban Farm and Gifford Park jean belizere lar win Creighton prep 22 Lar Lar was also part of the internship last year She joined us again this year because she wanted to learn even more about growing food She has really enjoyed learning about and taking care of the chickens as well as growing vegetables jessica lopez neh meh Metro 20 Northwest highschool 22 Jessica s three favorite things about working with City Sprouts were the chickens working with her team and learning about the vegetable growing process She particularly liked learning about pest control Jessica is attending Metro s Horticulture program and hopes to become a biology teacher one day 16 Northwest highschool 19 Jean enjoys working with friends and growing and taking care of plants He felt like this internship was a fun job His favorite dish that was prepared at City Sprouts was the potato salad Neh applied to this internship because she wants to have her own restaurant one day She enjoys the planting process and working outside She liked learning about plants she had never heard of Her favorite thing to grow is tomatoes 17
jailaiyah rouse keegan sullivan Bryan highschool 20 Mercy highschool 20 Jailaiyah liked the positive environment and diversity that City Sprouts had to offer so she came back this summer for a second year She felt like she wasn t just making an impact in her environment but her community as well She is proud of her improvement in plant identification and she tried beets for the first time and really liked them This was Keegan s second summer with City Sprouts She wanted to expand her knowledge and fill in any gaps that she may have missed last year She really enjoyed learning how to can vegetables and make jams She also liked going on a field trip to Big Muddy Urban Farm and Gifford Park jean belizere lar win Creighton prep 22 Lar Lar was also part of the internship last year She joined us again this year because she wanted to learn even more about growing food She has really enjoyed learning about and taking care of the chickens as well as growing vegetables jessica lopez neh meh Metro 20 Northwest highschool 22 Jessica s three favorite things about working with City Sprouts were the chickens working with her team and learning about the vegetable growing process She particularly liked learning about pest control Jessica is attending Metro s Horticulture program and hopes to become a biology teacher one day 16 Northwest highschool 19 Jean enjoys working with friends and growing and taking care of plants He felt like this internship was a fun job His favorite dish that was prepared at City Sprouts was the potato salad Neh applied to this internship because she wants to have her own restaurant one day She enjoys the planting process and working outside She liked learning about plants she had never heard of Her favorite thing to grow is tomatoes 17
City sprouts south interns 18 nye htway cassie ellefson Northwest highschool 22 Ralston highschool 21 Nye is working on her communication skills so she can reach her goal of becoming a nurse Her favorite days were Saturdays when she got to either work at the farm stand or assist with the Little Sprouts program Her favorite thing to grow this year were beets Cassie is very interested in the culinary arts She felt like she learned a ton about growing food and cooking during her internship with City Sprouts Her favorite thing to grow is tomatoes despite them being a challenge pah eh jaun guerrero Northwest highschool 21 Ralston highschool 19 This is also Eh Doh Paw s second year as a City Sprouts Intern She s enjoyed learning about the chickens making jam and harvesting She loves cooking and her favorite meal she prepared as a team was the fried rice She was an enthusiastic member of the team Juan one of our City Sprouts South interns has been a great asset to the team He loves making hugel beds a type of longterm composting garden bed that includes logs as the base layer and he felt like it was amazing to see the end result Juan is attending classes at Metro s Culinary Arts program and hopes to own a restaurant one day suzana ntirampeba mia webb UNO 23 Westside highschool 19 Suzana enjoyed her internship with City Sprouts last year so she decided to come back and re experience it She loves working with her fellow interns and the different walks of life that they all represent She likes harvesting vegetables and seeing the results of all her team s hard work Suzana is passionate about helping people and plans on becoming a lawyer one day to fulfill that mission Mia interned with City Sprouts because she wanted to learn how to grow food and make sustainable meals She liked the team work involved and getting to learn alongside her fellow interns She loves growing carrots because you get a surprise every time you pull one out She said that now when she goes to a grocery store she thinks a lot more about where the food comes from 19
City sprouts south interns 18 nye htway cassie ellefson Northwest highschool 22 Ralston highschool 21 Nye is working on her communication skills so she can reach her goal of becoming a nurse Her favorite days were Saturdays when she got to either work at the farm stand or assist with the Little Sprouts program Her favorite thing to grow this year were beets Cassie is very interested in the culinary arts She felt like she learned a ton about growing food and cooking during her internship with City Sprouts Her favorite thing to grow is tomatoes despite them being a challenge pah eh jaun guerrero Northwest highschool 21 Ralston highschool 19 This is also Eh Doh Paw s second year as a City Sprouts Intern She s enjoyed learning about the chickens making jam and harvesting She loves cooking and her favorite meal she prepared as a team was the fried rice She was an enthusiastic member of the team Juan one of our City Sprouts South interns has been a great asset to the team He loves making hugel beds a type of longterm composting garden bed that includes logs as the base layer and he felt like it was amazing to see the end result Juan is attending classes at Metro s Culinary Arts program and hopes to own a restaurant one day suzana ntirampeba mia webb UNO 23 Westside highschool 19 Suzana enjoyed her internship with City Sprouts last year so she decided to come back and re experience it She loves working with her fellow interns and the different walks of life that they all represent She likes harvesting vegetables and seeing the results of all her team s hard work Suzana is passionate about helping people and plans on becoming a lawyer one day to fulfill that mission Mia interned with City Sprouts because she wanted to learn how to grow food and make sustainable meals She liked the team work involved and getting to learn alongside her fellow interns She loves growing carrots because you get a surprise every time you pull one out She said that now when she goes to a grocery store she thinks a lot more about where the food comes from 19
letter from the director The pessimist complains about the wind the optimist expects it to change the realist adjusts the sails William Arthur Ward When the Gala time approaches I am filled with mixed emotions excitement at the opportunity to share all that has happened during the year pride in the many accomplishments of the interns gratitude for our talented board and staff and thankful for our generous supporters It is bittersweet that the internship has ended crops are being harvested and fall is just around the corner As I reflect on the season it has been a wonderful challenging growing year As all farmers know the weather will throw you a curve the Japenese beetles will take their share of the crops and the weeds will test your patience As our country and the world struggle with horrific and devastating events on a daily basis it is easy to become discouraged and overwhelmed However the people and events at City Sprouts bring me optimism and hope When a young child at a Little Sprouts class delights in the flight of a beautiful Monarch butterfly when an intern tastes homemade pizza fresh from the cob oven topped with veggies they grew when a young person beams with pride at a jar of tomatoes that they canned when a toddler holds a warm blue egg just laid by one of our hens meet the staff 20 These experiences convince me that we are capable of so much good that we have the skills to create the world we want to see Everyday there are moments that can inspire motivate and encourage and I am filled with wonder and appreciation for this life on our planet Thank you for contributing to this experience with your financial and volunteer support your hard work and dedication and a shared vision that through community we can be the change that will make a difference 21
letter from the director The pessimist complains about the wind the optimist expects it to change the realist adjusts the sails William Arthur Ward When the Gala time approaches I am filled with mixed emotions excitement at the opportunity to share all that has happened during the year pride in the many accomplishments of the interns gratitude for our talented board and staff and thankful for our generous supporters It is bittersweet that the internship has ended crops are being harvested and fall is just around the corner As I reflect on the season it has been a wonderful challenging growing year As all farmers know the weather will throw you a curve the Japenese beetles will take their share of the crops and the weeds will test your patience As our country and the world struggle with horrific and devastating events on a daily basis it is easy to become discouraged and overwhelmed However the people and events at City Sprouts bring me optimism and hope When a young child at a Little Sprouts class delights in the flight of a beautiful Monarch butterfly when an intern tastes homemade pizza fresh from the cob oven topped with veggies they grew when a young person beams with pride at a jar of tomatoes that they canned when a toddler holds a warm blue egg just laid by one of our hens meet the staff 20 These experiences convince me that we are capable of so much good that we have the skills to create the world we want to see Everyday there are moments that can inspire motivate and encourage and I am filled with wonder and appreciation for this life on our planet Thank you for contributing to this experience with your financial and volunteer support your hard work and dedication and a shared vision that through community we can be the change that will make a difference 21
alex o hanlon the green team Roxanne draper executive director Since 2012 Roxanne has served as the Director of City Sprouts During this time the staff has grown from 2 to 7 members She has built City Sprouts into what it is today and continutes to keep our doors open with her fundraising efforts Aaron french farm manager Aaron French has been managing farm operations at the Decatur Urban Farm since January 2018 Aaron also teaches youth and adult gardening classes for City Sprouts and has massively increased our vegetable yields this year addie gengenbach communications manager Addie is our newest team member she enjoys reading and continually learning about food gardening and the environment She manages our website social media and graphic design projects 22 city sprouts south garden manager Alex joined City Sprouts as South Garden Manager in March 2017 Alex can also be found installing edible landscapes around town and managing the Gifford Park Neighborhood Market when she s not working at City Sprouts South anna brun education manager Anna serves as our Education Manager In this role Anna oversees the Little Sprouts youth summer program Truck Farm Omaha Garden to Table the Growing Gardeners Workshop Series as well as tours and outreach programs john huebscher urban farm manager John has been working at City Sprouts since 2012 He is a retired OPS teacher and also works at Creighton University Athletics as an Academic Advisor He has a love for growing great tomatoes and sweet potatoes not to mention working with our team of interns shannon gennardo community engagement coordinator An avid gardener Shannon supports our gardeners providing them with plants seeds tools and tips to have a bountiful garden She also serves as an educator for Garden to Table and Truck Farm Omaha Shannon enjoys coordinating volunteer groups and managing our urban honeybee hive 23
alex o hanlon the green team Roxanne draper executive director Since 2012 Roxanne has served as the Director of City Sprouts During this time the staff has grown from 2 to 7 members She has built City Sprouts into what it is today and continutes to keep our doors open with her fundraising efforts Aaron french farm manager Aaron French has been managing farm operations at the Decatur Urban Farm since January 2018 Aaron also teaches youth and adult gardening classes for City Sprouts and has massively increased our vegetable yields this year addie gengenbach communications manager Addie is our newest team member she enjoys reading and continually learning about food gardening and the environment She manages our website social media and graphic design projects 22 city sprouts south garden manager Alex joined City Sprouts as South Garden Manager in March 2017 Alex can also be found installing edible landscapes around town and managing the Gifford Park Neighborhood Market when she s not working at City Sprouts South anna brun education manager Anna serves as our Education Manager In this role Anna oversees the Little Sprouts youth summer program Truck Farm Omaha Garden to Table the Growing Gardeners Workshop Series as well as tours and outreach programs john huebscher urban farm manager John has been working at City Sprouts since 2012 He is a retired OPS teacher and also works at Creighton University Athletics as an Academic Advisor He has a love for growing great tomatoes and sweet potatoes not to mention working with our team of interns shannon gennardo community engagement coordinator An avid gardener Shannon supports our gardeners providing them with plants seeds tools and tips to have a bountiful garden She also serves as an educator for Garden to Table and Truck Farm Omaha Shannon enjoys coordinating volunteer groups and managing our urban honeybee hive 23
City Sprouts North 4002 Seward St Omaha NE 68111 City Sprouts South 1815 N St Omaha NE 68107 www omahasprouts org 402 504 1910 info omahaprouts org 24 OmahaSprouts OmahaSprouts