100 Women support Seed to Table with contributions

Seed to Table received combined donations of $8,500 from 100 Women Who Care-Sisters members this month.

At their November 21 meeting, the women heard three informative and inspiring presentations before voting for their choice to receive their individual $100 donations.

Seed to Table's founder and executive director Audrey Tehan talked about their mission to increase wellness in the Central Oregon community through providing equitable access to locally grown farm fresh produce and offering opportunities in farm-based education.

Photo by Sue Stafford

Members of the Seed to Table board joined founder Audrey Tehan (center) and representatives of 100 Women Who Care-Sisters for the presentation of checks totaling $8,500 from 100 WWC. 

The $8,500 will be used in the farm's Feeding Families program which in 2023 brought fresh produce to 2,216 participants each week by donating $185,776 worth of fresh vegetables (46,444 pounds), distributed in collaboration with partners at community-based access points - Family Access Network, Volunteers in Medicine, Sisters School District, Kiwanis Food Bank, Wellhouse Market, Family Kitchen, Council on Aging, NeighborImpact, Circle of Friends, Deschutes Public Library, Warm Springs Community Action Team, and High Desert Food & Farm Alliance.

The farm also offers Central Oregon residents a weekly CSA-style produce share on the farm, using a sliding scale 'pay what you can' model for produce shares. They sell freshly harvested vegetables at the Sisters Farmers Market which, since 2020, has been a Seed to Table program. Food assistance currencies like SNAP/EBT and Double Up Food Bucks are accepted at the market, in the summer of 2023 accounting for food worth $3,565.

The farm offers year-round educational programs, making them the largest farm-to-school program in Central Oregon, with programming for pre-K through 12th grade and their families. The educational programming is offered at no cost or on a sliding scale to all participants. In 2023, they had 1,296 total student visits to the farm, 115 individuals participated at Summer Farm Camp, and 172 Kids Club members participated at the Sisters Farmers Market. More information is available on all their programs online at http://www.seedtotableoregon.org.

The other two nonprofits nominated for consideration were Sisters Trails Alliance and Sisters Science Club. The Science Club plans to create an educational nature trail at the new Sisters Elementary School. Jocelyn Blevins, STEM teacher at the elementary school, explained the Environmental Science program, which is a collaboration of all three Sisters schools, designed to get the students to spend more time outside while learning.

There will be a pollinator garden, native plants, bird and bat houses, and opportunities to learn about insects, birds, geology, hydrology, and an array of nature-based subjects. Volunteers David Hiller and Mark Thompson are making valuable contributions of time and expertise to the program. For more information, contact Blevins at Sisters Elementary School.

Sisters Trails Alliance executive director Stephanie Presley made the presentation for the Trails Alliance, which is working on increasing their educational programs including their popular Winter Speakers series, Frontiers in Science. They are also looking at expanding the Youth Ambassador program, the Trail Host program, and their community forums.

The educational programs are in addition to and supplement the trail stewardship and maintenance programs of multi-user, non-motorized trails and their adjacent wild places. For more information, check their website, https://sisterstrails.org.

Nominees not selected are welcome to try again. The next nomination deadline is Tuesday, January 7, 2025, with the meeting scheduled for Thursday, January 23, 2025. Nominations may be made by any member of 100 Women Who Care-Sisters.