By Lexi Bernstein
On Saturday, January 25, the Pagosa Peak Open School “Food Security Task Force” left Archuleta County to explore how people in Southwest Colorado are tackling the huge problem of food security. The Task Force is comprised of nine 4th-through-6th graders who are exploring ways to create change in Archuleta County, starting with their own school.
The first stop on the trip was Fields to Plate Produce in Durango, a local farm with a greenhouse, sheep, and a dog named Oakley. The emphasis there is on growing root vegetables and eating seasonally.
“They were very scientific, but we learned about the shelf life of produce and how hard it is to grow in a 90-day growing season,” said 4th grader Zaiden.
The next stop was Manna Soup Kitchen, also in Durango.
“The soup kitchen started because a lady died from not eating enough food and they didn’t want that to happen again,” remembered Amelie, another 4th grade student.
The tour led the Task Force through a commercial kitchen available to the public, a meeting room, a garden area, a greenhouse, the soup kitchen, and the many fridges and freezers needed to feed Durango’s population.
“The thing I remember most was the room storing all the supplies for the weekend backpack program. There weren’t any fresh fruits or
vegetables,” said 6th grader Kaylee.
After eating some apple crisp made with commodity apples, the Task Force piled into the van and drove to Absolute Bakery in Mancas. As we waited for our food, the owner told the group about why farm to table is important to him.
“The owner used to be a farmer so he thinks it’s important to support people growing food in our area. He also wants us to remember how good we have it here. It’s not like Africa where people barely have anything to eat,” said 4th grader Bella.
The Task Force finished some of the best burgers they had ever eaten and drove the last leg of their journey. As they passed the Safeway in Cortez, they realized the people living in Mancos (18 miles away) had to make this drive any time they needed groceries.
The last stop on the trip was “Spudfest” at the Cortez Sharehouse. Produced by The Good Food Collective, Spudfest was created to celebrate the Potatoes for the People Project. The students ran between stands learning about groups like Cooking Matters, the Sharehouse, and local farms, eating potatoes and asking everybody in sight, “What does Food Security mean to You?”
With answers ranging from “locking my food up” to “making sure everybody can access food in a dignified manner”, the Task Force realized how many people are working on the problem.
The day was rounded out with a tour of the Sharehouse facilities which house a CSA (community-supported agriculture), The Good Samaritan Food Bank, and an artist studio.
“Maybe if we get people to draw food very closely, they will appreciate it more,” wondered 6th grader Sarah Joy.
Before we left, the Good Food Collective emphasized the importance of working together to solve Food Security and 6th grader Jessie Elledge won a new backpack.
After going over our notes from the trip, the Task Force has decided to create an animation video explaining what food security means to different people and why it is important. They also hope to work with different groups to revamp the backpack program and reduce the stigma surrounding supplemental food.
Lexi Bernstein is an Americorps volunteer, and heads up the Food Security Program at Pagosa Peak Open School, the first District authorized charter school in Archuleta County. Pagosa Peak is a tuition-free public school open to all Archuleta County families. Learn more at https://pagosapeakopenschool.org