Every Tuesday from 1:00 to 2:00 PM, before the first customer even reaches the tables, our Mobile Farmers’ Market crew is unloading crates of produce in front of the Los Medanos College Healthcare District (LMCHD) Community Garden at Pittsburg Health Center. Staff come out first, often on their break, followed by patients who linger a little past their appointments to see what’s fresh that week. It’s a new stop for Fresh Approach, but it’s already starting to feel like a neighborhood fixture.

In East Palo Alto, access to fresh, affordable produce has never been a given. As grocery prices climb and food insecurity touches more families, the ability to grow your own food isn’t just a hobby– it’s a form of resilience. The East Palo Alto Community Garden at 230 Demeter Street exists at that intersection: a place where community members can feed themselves, share knowledge, and build something that belongs to all of them.

The people helping run Fresh Approach’s community compost hubs are part of the organization’s Community Ambassador Program, which provides paid opportunities for local residents to gain professional experience and build skills in food systems, community nutrition, urban agriculture, and community engagement.

Every habit begins somewhere, but knowing that a change is needed is often where folks begin when it comes to learning about which foods and activities are really nourishing. Expanding that understanding into lasting habits can be intimidating, but for Belinda and Arelly, starting small made all the difference.

As Collective Roots Community Garden prepares to relocate near the East Palo Alto Farmers’ Market, Fresh Approach celebrates the history, connection, and growth cultivated at its original Woodland Avenue site.

Vera serves as both a Rain Garden Ambassador and a Compost Hub Ambassador, and her unique journey—from software engineering to soil health—highlights the power of combining personal passion with community action.

The idea of cultivating rain gardens throughout East Palo Alto was led by the community itself and is grounded in collaboration.

The idea of cultivating rain gardens throughout East Palo Alto was led by the community itself and is grounded in collaboration.