YOUTH RESILIENCE FUND OUR MISSION We know that youth safety and well-being are key components of our collective way forward through the COVID-19 crisis. To respond directly to the economic instability and hardships that youth were facing last year, FoodWhat launched the Youth Resilience Fund. As a result of the generosity of our community, 80 FoodWhat youth and their families received $1,000 of crisis assistance funds to pay for rent, utilities and food among other important household expenses. “Food, What?!” is a youth empowerment and food justice organization. At FoodWhat, youth engage in relationships with land, food and each other in ways that are grounded in love and rooted in justice. We provide meaningful space where youth define and cultivate their empowerment, liberation and well-being. Thank you for all of the ways you have met this moment by supporting the young people at the heart of FoodWhat. “Well with one check I just bought a few household things that were necessary at the time. My baby brother needed some clothes also so I bought him some. I also gave my brother $200 for the phone bill and some for his gas. My mom didn’t have a job at the time so to not stress her out I myself bought groceries. I wanted to get some stuff for myself, but you know. Family first.” “My mother and sister were struggling with money for the bills and when this check came in unexpectedly it truly helped relieve the stress in the house and made things better physically and mentally along with emotionally. It was a true blessing at the moment.” “My mom’s car wouldn’t turn on because of the old battery the car had and thanks to the program I was able to buy her a new battery from the shop and at the moment she didn’t have any money.” YOUTH SHARE ABOUT YRF IMPACT FOOD, BILLS, AND RENT WERE THE TOP THREE EXPENSES MET WITH THE YRF AT THE FOLLOWING PERCENTAGES: FOOD 77 % RENT 43 % BILLS 44 % Donor-Advised Grants 34% Foundation Grants 27% Corporate Grants & Donations 17% Individual Donations 12% Government Grants & Contracts 10% In-Kind Donations 0% Earned Income 0% INCOME - $854,873 Program – 46% Administration – 24% Fundraising – 17% Youth Salaries & Stipends – 12% EXPENSES - $743,631 CONTACT US 831.459.5476 1156 High Street Santa Cruz, CA 95064 foodwhat.org “Food, What?!” is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization with federal taxpayer identification number 81-2590280 foodwhatfarm “I enjoyed that I was part of an organization. It was a part of my day I would look forward to. It helped me stay motivated and active, otherwise I would have been bored, maybe more stressed, I wouldn’t have grown. Like the opportunity to grow my own food, we got so many tomatoes and peppers. [The cooking] opened up my thoughts, the fact my family would sit down for dinner together and we got to spend that time together, it felt like a reward for the cooking.” - Lupita Dear Friends, In March, the 2020 FoodWhat Youth Crew had just stepped foot on the farm. They spent some time exploring the land, sharpening their farm tools, and getting to know each other through meaningful work, communal meals and learning together. They had just tapped into an experience that could very well influence the rest of their lives. Then, we heard the news of how our world had changed. Our collective health was at stake. Like many, FoodWhat was facing a year that would time and time again require us to adapt or make way. During this time, FoodWhat youth, staff and supporters unleashed their hope and love in ways that proved that the world can change all it wants, but we will remain steadfastly there for each other through it all. The FoodWhat youth proved it. If there was ever a year I could imagine youth might disengage, it’d be this one. Instead, 2020 saw the largest number of youth ever to succeed in our program. This is youth power: generated in crisis and rooted in taking opportunities to show up for themselves and their loved ones. The FoodWhat staff proved it. In under one week, our Program Team transformed our in-person, land-based model into a supportive interactive online youth space that centered mental, social and physical health during crisis conditions. There’s no operations manual that could explain the sheer ingenuity, resilience and dedication of our staff in this endeavor. The FoodWhat supporters proved it. Not once did I doubt our community’s commitment. Our supporters didn’t just keep us stable, they helped us try on new, responsive initiatives like our Youth Resilience Fund, which now serves as a strong example of what happens when youth are trusted and given agency over the resources they and their families need to survive. When I express how we did this together, I mean we did this together without blinking, without precedence, without a playbook. Instead, this year was an act of great trust and hope. I am so proud to say that because of this togetherness, FoodWhat is ready to continue whatever work is necessary for however long it takes. Most sincerely, Doron Comerchero A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR FINANCIAL REPORT 80 YOUTH RECEIVED IMMEDIATE CRISIS SUPPORT IN FOODWHAT’S SPRING PROGRAM. As the COVID-19 crisis unfolded, FoodWhat doubled down on our commitment to youth by completely transforming our program to be 100% responsive to their needs: ONE-ON-ONE SUPPORT: FoodWhat youth are already on the margins and COVID-19 has deepened their struggle. Youth mental health and social connectivity was supported by weekly phone sessions with FoodWhat staff. VIRTUAL WELLNESS SESSIONS: In a time when the world was experiencing a collective anxiety, youth engaged in mindfulness, self-care, crisis survival sessions online with each other. FARMING AND CULINARY TUTORIALS: We brought the farm and kitchen directly to youth on social media platforms to meet them where they were at. Farm Fridays continued to provide lessons learned from the farm and our environment, while cooking videos inspired youth to create recipes like Ceviche and Carne Asada. SAFE EDUCATIONAL SPACE: Youth continued to deepen their knowledge around food justice, nutrition and wellness, while incorporating essential information on navigating the pandemic, such as virus prevention techniques, accessing healthy food, and uplifting games to play at home. SOCIAL SERVICE LINKAGE SYSTEM: FoodWhat created a local resource guide specific to FoodWhat youth needs and provided individual support on accessing these resources. FoodWhat Alumni took over our Instagram page to help demystify, destigmatize, and link youth to resources through a series of live interviews with key local service partners. 31 YOUTH EMPLOYED AND SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED SUMMER PROGRAM. Youth needs continued to grow throughout the year as they experienced growing food and economic insecurity. While maintaining the bonds created through the early stages of the crisis, we deepened the food access and individual support aspects of our work through our paid Summer Program: COOK AT HOME: Every week, youth received bountiful CSAs and meal kits filled with all the ingredients needed to prepare a healthy meal. Gathering online with staff, youth would transform the organic, fresh produce into heart-warming meals for themselves and their families. GROW YOUR OWN: Youth received containers filled with soil and got weekly seeds or plant starts to take on food production in their own homes. Youth then engaged in weekly gardening sessions in their virtual group, swapped stories, and celebrated their role in bringing food into their household. PERSONAL AND EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT: Youth participated in workshops in their pods on relevant topics, like mental health and how to navigate the job market during COVID-19. One of the most well received workshops was “Food as Medicine” where youth shared traditional remedies that have been passed down by their family members, touching upon healing plants and nutritional immune boosting foods. HIGHLIGHT: THE POWER OF FOOD IN CRISIS This crisis brought new meaning to the idea of building resilient communities through food here at FoodWhat. After receiving their first CSA and meal kit from FoodWhat, one youth’s mother called us on a weekend to share that this act of support was nothing short of an act of family. FoodWhat youth, Makayla, shared this about the impact of cooking the food: “I really enjoyed the cooking...I liked cooking at home because my sisters could watch and then I had a meal for my family and can bless them with it.” This year, FoodWhat distributed 5,625 pounds of healthy food to FoodWhat families over the course of Summer and Fall—nearly double the amount of food distributed to FoodWhat youth last year. SPRING PROGRAM SUMMER PROGRAM “Young people during this time in this crazy pandemic need an outlet. You can text, snapchat, email your friends, but you need someone to check in on you. Everyone (at FoodWhat) did a great job of checking in.” - Jocelyn “I think everyone should try gardening. It’s a very useful skill to have and could help with mental health. Learning how to properly water or care for a plant could help ease your mind off of any built up stress as well as make you feel more in control. You also get to learn how to feel at peace with yourself and nature.” - Kayla “This summer I remember communicating more with people I really don’t know. I used to be more quiet, and started talking to more people. It has helped me communicate with others or be more confident having conversations.” - 2020 Youth Crew Member