Why We Talk About the Climate Catastrophe at our Events (By Tommy Díaz, Healthy People & Communities Program Manager) In recent years, the climate crisis has become a more pressing issue and a bigger priority for us to address as an organization. It is vitally important to support the communities we serve to the best of our ability, which is why we’ve been increasingly including climate-related language in our outreach and programs. As we celebrate Earth Month during April it seems fit to bring up this topic and remind you as our followers and supporters about this urgent problem. Continue reading

Photo: NCAP's Ana Elisa Wilson and Tommy Díaz speak with a group of farm workers at the Migrant Education Program in Hermiston, OR. Why In-Person Events are Vital for our Farm Worker Education Project (By Tommy Díaz, Healthy People & Communities Program Manager) Our last community event in Hermiston gave us insight into the importance of NCAP’s Spanish programming in Central and Eastern Oregon. We had 68 Latine adults and over 50 children show up at the Migrant Education Program’s offices for our latest Plática Participativa. For our Spanish language programming this is an enormous milestone—we had more people than at any of our previous events! Continue reading

(By Christina Stucker-Gassi, Healthy Food & Farms Program Manager) The Senate Agriculture Committee plays a vital role in shaping the Farm Bill. In turn the Farm Bill is a package of legislation passed roughly once every five years that has a tremendous impact on farming livelihoods, how food is grown, and what kinds of foods are grown. Covering programs ranging from crop insurance for farmers to healthy food access for low-income families, from beginning farmer training to support for sustainable farming practices, the Farm Bill sets the stage for our food and farm systems. Continue reading

(By Sidney Fellows, Program Specialist-on left- and Christina Stucker-Gassi, Healthy Food & Farms Program Manager-on right) NCAP is celebrating a decade of on-farm habitat work that has helped dozens of farmers and ranchers prioritize habitat projects that benefit pollinators and other valuable insects! We have contributed tens of thousands of dollars toward habitat projects that have lasting impacts. Not only do these plants provide vital nectar, pollen, and nesting material for numerous species, they also cycle nutrients and sequester carbon. In addition to these benefits, our work positively contributes to the rise in initiatives to plant more native plants. While we celebrate this work, we want to share with you some guiding thoughts for the next ten years. Continue reading

Pledge to Support Food for All Oregonians!  Many people in our communities do not have access to food assistance programs. Why? Because federal policy makers have excluded whole parts of our community from food assistance based on arbitrary factors like immigration status. In Oregon, we have expanded access for immigrant and refugee Oregonians in healthcare, public safety and other basic rights. Now we need to expand access to food assistance. Continue reading