Reunity Resources

TO PROVIDE EDUCATION AND PROMOTE THE USE OF RECYCLING, SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES ALTERNATIVE ENERGY AND COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC AT LARGE.

FARM REUNITY RESOURCES' FARM SERVES A BROAD SPECTRUM OF OUR COMMUNITY, CREATING CONNECTIONS, DIALOGUE AND MUTUAL LEARNING AROUND FOOD AND SUSTAINABILITY. OUR FOOD ACCESS PROGRAMS SERVE LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORS, WHILE BI-LINGUAL COOKING AND NUTRITION CLASSES ARE ADVERTISED AT NEARBY CLINICS LIKE PRESBYTERIAN, LA FAMILIA AND TO ALL SNAP USERS. OVER 4,000 IN DOUBLE UP FOOD BUCKS AND OTHER NUTRITION PROGRAM BENEFITS WERE DISTRIBUTED AT THE FARM STAND, INCREASING FOOD ACCESS AND AFFORDABILITY, WHILE OUR MUTUAL AID COMMUNITY FRIDGE AND PANTRY CELEBRATED ONE YEAR OF OPERATION THE FARM STAND WAS ALSO A SALES OUTLET FOR OVER 20 OTHER FARMERS, RANCHERS AND LOCAL FOOD PRODUCERS. AT-RISK YOUTH WORK ON THE FARM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH YOUTHWORKS. SFCC SUSTAINABILITY AND FUTURE FOCUSED EDUCATION STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIPS HERE. SANTA FE PUBLIC SCHOOL KIDS LEARN ABOUT US THROUGH COOKING WITH KIDS DEMOS, MEET-THE-FARMER VISITS AND FREE FIELD TRIPS. OVER 5,000 STUDENTS AND ADULTS PARTOOK IN FARM TOURS, FIELD TRIPS AND SERVICE LEARNING PROJECTS. WEEDING WEDNESDAYS AND SEEDING SATURDAYS BECAME CORNERSTONES OF OUR GROWING VOLUNTEER PROGRAM, BUILDING COMMUNITY WITH OUR HANDS IN THE SOIL TOGETHER AND LEARNING ABOUT REGENERATIVE PRACTICES. WE CONTINUE TO TRANSITION THE FARM TO NO-TILL, ORGANIC, AND SUSTAINABLE LAND PRACTICES LIKE PLANTING NATIVE PERENNIAL FLOWERS, SHRUBS AND TREES AROUND THE PERIMETER TO PROTECT THE SOIL, ATTRACT POLLINATORS AND PROVIDE HABITAT FOR MIGRATORY BIRDS. CUSTOMERS REPRESENT THE COMMUNITY FROM RECENT IMMIGRANTS TO RETIREES. OVER 4,500 SUBSCRIBERS WERE ON OUR FARM COMMUNITY EMAIL LIST IN 2023, WITH 75- 175 VISITORS AT EACH OF 96 FARM STANDS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. VEGETABLES WERE ALSO SOLD WHOLESALE TO FOOD BANKS, OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT, RESTAURANTS AND OVER 10,000 POUNDS OF FRESH FOOD AND PREPARED MEALS WAS DONATED TO LOCAL HUNGER EFFORTS WITH PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS AND OUR 24/7 ONSITE COMMUNITY FRIDGE TO ENSURE FRESH VEGETABLE ACCESS TO THOSE IN NEED IN OUR COMMUNITY. FARM CARDS WORTH 7,500 IN PRODUCE, AS WELL AS ONGOING FRESH VEGETABLE DONATIONS WERE DONATED TO FAMILIES IN NEED SERVED BY OUR PARTNERS AT MANY MOTHERS, SANTA FE PUBLIC SCHOOL'S ADELANTE, THE SANTA FE INDIGENOUS CENTER, SANTA FE REFUGEE COLLABORATIVE, AND OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SAN YSIDRO PARISH. FARM CAMP FARM CAMP GREW FROM 315 CHILDREN TO 385 CHILDREN IN 2023, WITH 49% OF CAMPERS RECEIVING SCHOLARSHIPS FROM OUR FUNDRAISING. CHILDREN WERE ON THE FARM DURING ALL WEEKS OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL'S SUMMER VACATION, PROVIDING ESSENTIAL CHILDCARE TO WORKING FAMILIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL+FRESH FOOD EDUCATION TO CAMPERS. FARM FOOD RESCUE OUR SAVING SECONDS PROGRAM IS IN ITS SECOND YEAR OF OPERATION AND PILOTED A SERIES OF OVER 10 PRODUCTS THAT USE NON-PREMIUM PRODUCE "SECONDS" FROM REUNITY AND PARTNER FARMS TO PROCESS INTO HEALTHY, SHELF-STABLE PRODUCTS, REDUCING FOOD WASTE AND INCREASING YEAR-ROUND FOOD RESILIENCY. THESE PRODUCTS INCLUDED KIMCHIS, TOMATO SAUCES, POTATO/TURNIP SALAD, CARROT HUMMUS, READY-TO-EAT SALADS AND SOUPS, AND MORE. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF BEST FOOD RESCUE AND PRESERVATION TECHNIQUES CONTINUED, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO INCREASING VOLUME AND DIVERSITY IN FOOD RESCUE AND PRESERVATION IN 2024. COMMERCIAL COMPOST PROGRAM THANKS TO THE PARTICIPATION OF SANTA FE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, 40+ LOCAL RESTAURANTS, 520 HOUSEHOLDS AND DROP-OFF PARTICIPANTS, OUR COMPOST PROGRAM DIVERTED APPROXIMATELY 2 MILLION POUNDS OF FOOD WASTE FROM THE LANDFILL. WE ALSO COLLECTED AND CONVERTED 49,184 GALLONS OF WASTE OIL INTO BIODIESEL. THIS PREVENTS THE METHANE EMISSIONS ASSOCIATED WITH FOOD WASTE IN LANDFILLS, WHICH IS THE 3RD LARGEST METHANE PRODUCER GLOBALLY. RESIDENTIAL COMPOST PROGRAM NEARLY A THIRD OF THE AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD'S TRASH MAKE-UP IS ACTUALLY COMPOSTABLE, AND OUR DOORSTEP PROGRAM MAKES HOME COMPOSTING EASY AND ACCESSIBLE TO THE COMMUNITY. THIS PROGRAM HAD AN AVERAGE OF 520 SUBSCRIBERS IN 2023. A REUNITY COMPOST BUCKET ON AVERAGE HOLDS 18 LBS OF FOOD WASTE;EVERY 2.2 LBS OF FOOD WASTE EQUALS AROUND 5.5 LBS OF CO2 EQUIVALENT RELEASED FROM THE LANDFILL. CAPACITY BUILDING IN THE COMPOST SECTOR AS A CONTRACTOR FOR SANTA FE COUNTY, WE INSTALLED 37 BACKYARD COMPOSTING SYSTEMS TO HOUSEHOLDS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY, EDUCATING THEM ON COMPOSTING IN THE HIGH DESERT TO EFFECTIVELY DIVERT FOOD WASTE ON SITE. IN COLLABORATION WITH QUIVIRA COALITION, WE INSTALLED TWO AERATED STATIC PILE COMPOSTING SYSTEMS ON FARMS/RANCHES IN RURAL COMMUNITIES OF NEW MEXICO, TRAINING BOTH THE RANCHERS/FARMERS AND THE NEIGHBORS/PUBLIC ON THESE SYSTEMS AND HOW TO DIVERT THEIR RANCH/FARM GREEN WASTE AND FOOD WASTE ON SITE. SOIL YARD OUR SOIL YARD WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THOUSANDS OF CUBIC YARDS COMPOST AND AMENDMENTS SOLD AND DONATED INTO THE COMMUNITY-ENOUGH TO COVER 35 ACRES OF LAND WITH ONE INCH OF MATERIAL. WHEN COMPOST IS AMENDED TO DESERTIFIED SOILS, IT CAN CAPTURE UP TO 20,000 MORE GALLONS OF WATER PER ACRE (WITH ONLY ONE INCH OF COMPOST AMENDED OVER THAT ACRE), AND SETS UP AN ONGOING POSITIVE FEEDBACK CYCLE SEQUESTERING INCREASING AMOUNTS OF CARBON OUT OF THE ATMOSPHERE WHERE IT IS HARMFUL AND BACK INTO THE SOIL WHERE IT IS HELPFUL. USED COOKING OIL TO BIODIESEL 49,184 GALLONS OF USED COOKING OIL WERE COLLECTED FROM AREA RESTAURANTS FOR CONVERSION INTO CLEAN BIODIESEL. BIODIESEL IS A LIQUID, NONTOXIC, AND BIODEGRADABLE FUEL PRODUCED BY COMBINING ALCOHOL WITH VEGETABLE OIL, ANIMAL FAT, OR RECYCLED COOKING GREASE, AND IS A MUCH CLEANER-BURNING REPLACEMENT FOR PETROLEUM-BASED DIESEL FUEL. LOCAL FOOD AND FARMER ADVOCACY STAFF PARTICIPATED IN THE SANTA FE FOOD POLICY COUNCIL WORKING TOWARD LOCAL PROCUREMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS, HOSTED WORKSHOPS ABOUT RESTORING LOCAL GRAIN CHAINS, AND CONTINUED THE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COUNTY TO GROW MORE FOOD ON COUNTY LAND. COMMUNITY FRIDGE AND PANTRY REUNITY RESOURCES MANAGES A 24/7 ACCESS NO-QUESTIONS-ASKED COMMUNITY FRIDGE AND PANTRY OUTSIDE ITS FRONT GATES. WE FILL IT REGULARLY WITH FARM FRESH PRODUCE AS WELL AS BULK/STAPLE ITEMS SUCH AS BEANS, RICE, CHEESE AND EGGS. VOLUNTEERS MANAGE AND CARE FOR THE FRIDGES WEEKLY. WHILE COMMUNITY USE IS NOT MONITORED/MEASURED, QUALITATIVELY, WE SEE PEDESTRIANS AND VEHICLES AT THE FRIDGE AT ALL HOURS AND EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR. IT IS CONTINUOUSLY FILLING AND EMPTYING FROM COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AS WELL AS OUR FOOD CONTRIBUTIONS TO IT. COMMUNITY EVENT SERIES IN 2023 WE HOSTED OVER 30 PUBLIC EVENTS RANGING FROM MUSIC CONCERTS TO CREATIVE MOVEMENT FOR KIDS TO TORTILLA MAKING TO COOKING FROM THE HARVEST. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT OVER 8,000 UNIQUE VISITORS PARTICIPATED IN OUR SUMMER EVENTS.