Martial Cottle Park

Garden to Table Silicon Valley's Growing Our Urban Roots Youth Education Program provides a hands-on learning opportunity for students to step into leadership roles, become environmental stewards, and build community resilience. It empowers middle school and high school students as leaders in their community to grow food sustainability while providing mentorship and teaching opportunities for our next generation.

The Authority contributed funds towards a series of Bioblitz Events hosted by Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful. Coyote Creek is a diverse natural area with multiple types of habitat for varied wildlife. The four BioBlitz events took place at two locations along the creek, where the public helped document animal and plant species with a simple mobile app, iNaturalist. These events aimed to attract diverse participants, including people who may spend little time in nature and can expose more people to the outdoors in a new way.

Initially launched in response to COVID-19, Veggielution's Eastside Connect program serves more than 250 people per week through farm boxes, hot meals, and our onsite farm stand. Beginning in 2021, with the funding from the Open Space Authoriy, Veggielution will grow the capacity of Eastside Connect based on recommendations from our recent land use plan. By adding bike delivery, food safety certification, and value added products prepared by local residents, this program will help build a more pandemic- and climate-resilient local food system.