Executive Director’s Welcome
For many of us, this year has become one of self-reflection, flexibility, adjusting and readjusting to the everchanging pace of a novel virus. For ALL IN and its partners, it has been a call to action and a renewed sense of urgency to support Alameda County residents suffering disproportionally from income inequality, racism and discrimination. The tireless efforts of our county partners have increased access to testing, case investigation and contract tracing, information, and resources to reduce the financial burden of a global pandemic. Our collective efforts have focused on the areas of the county most impacted by the virus, who also happen to be the areas of the county most impacted by poverty.
Since March the ALL IN team has been busy working with its partners. We’ve launched an emergency food distribution program that features door step delivery of fresh produce from Dig Deep Farms, prepared meals from small local vendors, and shelf stable foods from the Alameda County Community Food Bank. We’ve continued our Food as Medicine program pivoting from in person to remote group medical visits and door step delivery of produce, and expanded the program to Native American Health Center. We hosted six youth interns this summer at Dig Deep Farms for the Youth Urban Agriculture Internship funded by Sutter Bay Hospitals. In partnership with county agencies and Supervisorial Districts, ALL IN has provided technical assistance and capacity building support to community organizations across the county responding to the avalanche of community need as a result of the virus. We worked alongside the Deputy Sheriffs’ Activities League to inform the design of ALL IN Eats: A circular food economy in Alameda County that seeks to promote access to nutritious locally sourced foods and cultivate economic opportunity by increasing job opportunities in the food system. In the midst of all this we have renewed our own interest in committing to a suite of concrete and actionable strategies in our three-year strategic plan; weaving a clearer picture of how our collaborative efforts contribute to the collective action of addressing issues of poverty.
We invite you to join us at our October 21st Steering Committee meeting to learn more about our Strategic Planning process and the status of the County’s place-based strategy to stop the spread of the Coronavirus among the most vulnerable in our County. ALL IN remains committed to the collective effort of our partners to serve others. We do so with community at the center and in partnership. Though many of us have grown weary in the last seven months, we are zeroing in on a course of action that will strengthen our relationships, build trust, and support sustainability.
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Youth Urban Agriculture Internship (YUAI)
 ALL IN, in partnership with Sutter Health, Dig Deep Farms and the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) ran an 8 week summer internship program focused on urban agriculture for youth in Ashland. The internship - funded by Sutter Health - allowed for 5 young people to go through hands on training at Dig Deep’s urban farm to learn about and receive a certificate in urban agriculture practice and principles. In addition to the urban agriculture education taught by Dig Deep Farms Co-Directors Sasha Shankar and Troy Horton, the young people participated in 3 financial literacy workshops on site at the farm taught by Jesus Verduzco with ACPHD's Health Equity team.
Each young person completed 72 hours of training, earning a certificate in urban agriculture. As a part of the internship, each young person received garden tools and materials as well as an hourly stipend. On September 23rd the young people presented their final projects which entailed a well-researched zoned urban garden based on the principles of urban agriculture.
Upcoming Events
NEW DATE: Youth Action Board Information and Input Session
ALL In and Covenant House has postponed the meeting due to unhealthy air quality. The Youth Action Board first meeting will take place on Thursday, October 22, 2020 on the rooftop at Covenant House (200 Harrison Street, Oakland, CA) from 2 PM-4 PM. Register online.
Steering Committee Meetings
ALL IN Steering Committee meetings are held on the third Wednesday of the month from 1:00 PM-2:30 PM. During the COVID-19 pandemic, ALL IN Steering Committee meetings will be held over Zoom. Please check the Alameda County Board of Supervisors' Committee Calendar for the most up-to-date agendas and Zoom conference links.
In the News
ALL IN's Food as Medicine initiative was the featured GusNIP grantee in the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition's September 2020 newsletter. Thank you to the Center for Nutrition for highlighting ALL IN's innovative work to address both social determinants of health (like food insecurity and social isolation) and chronic diseases through an integrated model that improves the wellbeing and health of our communities.
Introducing Lyla Connolly
Lyla Connolly serves as the Program Assistant of the Food as Medicine Initiative for ALL IN Alameda County. In May 2020, Lyla graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in Medical Anthropology. As an undergraduate, she focused on how individual wellbeing is inextricably linked to social, environmental, and political economic factors. Over the course of her academic career, she explored these topics through various lenses. She conducted field research on Nepali women’s relationship to food, body, and health, was awarded for her research on how the quinoa trade impacts livelihoods in Bolivia, and wrote an honors thesis about reimagining alternative medicines, specifically Ayurveda, in the United States. Lyla is also certified as an Integrative Health Practitioner, and is thus passionate about using food and lifestyle interventions to address the underlying root causes of disease. While the integrative model excites her, she believes that a truly holistic approach to health care needs to account for the ways in which an individual’s dietary and behavioral habits are mediated by the social determinants of health. Through her role as Program Assistant, she is excited to help bring Food as Medicine to underserved communities.
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Introducing
Maryruth
Belsey-Priebe
Maryruth Belsey Priebe is a Senior Policy Advisor with Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan’s office working to scale up the circular food economy (including the Food as Medicine program) that has already been developed through ALL IN and DSAL (Deputy Sheriffs’ Activities League).
Maryruth focuses on deep research to filter for compelling methods that empower communities, and then uses that knowledge to design precise, effective policies. As a writer, Maryruth also uses storytelling to excite people about how including principles such as sustainable farming, food recovery, and women’s health.
Maryruth has studied psychology, religion, and sustainability, and is currently a Harvard International Relations graduate student. As a business owner, she has professional experience in project management, corporate communications, and higher education, and has taken part in cross-cultural exchanges to Asia, Eastern Europe, South Africa, and Nicaragua. Maryruth is thrilled to be part of District 3 and ALL IN as she works with organizations to develop policies and programs that deliver real tangible change in Alameda.
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