1:30-4:00pm

Afternoon Program

The Water Conservation Garden

Join us for an afternoon at the Water Conservation Garden to enjoy local food, art, connection and more. There will be engaging afternoon chats, a vibrant Community Hall, and live screen printing. We invite you to move at your own pace, follow what draws you in, and spend the afternoon in community!

Afternoon Chats

Healing Our Waterways, Healing Ourselves: A Conversation on Water, Land, and Belonging in the Tijuana River Valley

  • The Tijuana River Valley is the largest coastal wetland in Southern California. For decades, we have destroyed lands, watersheds, and ecosystems in the name of population growth and human consumption. The crisis in the Tijuana River Valley is about more than climate change and poor infrastructure — it's a crisis rooted in disconnection. Join us for a conversation that will explore our relationship to watersheds, highlight the impact of the Tijuana River Valley crisis on local communities and farmers, and uplift stories for how to nourish the waterways that nourish us.

    • Bobby Wallace, Barona Band of Mission Indians

    • Robin Taylor, Sun Grown Organics

    • Sara González Olachea, Environmental and Water Management Specialist

    • Waylon Matson, 4Walls International

    • Ramon Chairez, 4Walls International (Facilitator)

Honoring the People Who Feed Us: Stories From Those Who Grow, Catch, Move, and Prepare Food

  • The people who nourish us—small farms, fisheries, and food businesses—are the lifeblood of every community. And yet, much of their work, care, and challenges remain unseen. We know that a diverse, resilient, and thriving local food system is not possible without them. Join us to learn more about the people who feed us, their work, their challenges, and their sources of nourishment. Together, we'll reflect on what it will take to build a more nourished, connected, and vibrant region.

    * This afternoon chat is set up in a circle format that leaves open seats for additional voices to join in. Farmers, fishermen, and food business owners in attendance are invited to take a seat at the table and join the conversation.

    • Monica Lin, Foodshed Cooperative

    • Stephanie Napoli, Napoli Farms

    • Kim Frink, SunCoast Market

    • Ayzsha Smith, Kind Folk Farm

    • Charity May, Sacred Futures (Facilitator)

Nourishing the Next Generation: A Space for Seeding Connections and Hope

  • The future of our food system is taking root in classrooms, school gardens, and the hands of youth learning to care for the land. Join us to explore how connection to food and land is shaping how young people understand themselves, their communities, and their future. This is a space for hope as much as strategy. Come ready to listen, reflect, and consider the role each of us plays in nourishing those who will carry this work forward.

    • Amanda Subish and Adam Uribe, Red Earth Movement

    • Janelle Manzano, SDUSD

    • Christina Abuelo, Barrio Botany & Leah’s Pantry

    • Alex Trimm, Foodshed

    • Jeni Barajas, Olivewood Gardens & Learning Center (Facilitator)

Afternoon Activities

Community Hall

12:30 to 4:00pm — Main Plaza

The Community Hall is the heart of the Annual Gathering, a place to slow down, explore, and connect with the people and organizations nourishing our region every day. Wander through the Community Hall, learn about work happening across San Diego’s food system, and stop for hands-on activities, conversation, and a little joy. Nourishment doesn’t happen alone. It grows through relationships, shared knowledge, and care. We invite you to take your time, ask questions, and make new connections. You never know what might take root!

Seeds of Nourishment: What Nourishes Us, What Connects Us, What Can We Grow Together?

12:30 to 4:00pm — Main Plaza

Interactive activity in partnership with UC Cooperative Extension San Diego County

A nourished food system isn’t something any one of us can grow alone. It grows through what we plant, tend, share, and imagine together. Our movement is more than what we can see above ground, it’s the relationships, knowledge, culture, resources, and connections beneath that root us.

Seeds of Connection is an interactive art activity we will grow together throughout the gathering. As attendees share the connections they've made, the people and practices that nourish them, and the futures they hope to grow, our roots and connections will take shape.

By the end of the day, the space will hold a collective portrait of who we are, what sustains us, and what we're building together. It's a reminder and reflection of the community we have cultivated together.

Stop by to contribute and watch our collective ecosystem take shape!

Live Screenprinting

1:00 to 3:30pm — The House

In partnership with Sour Soup Society

“What do we carry with us, and what can we give new life?”

Join Sour Soup Society for a live screen-printing experience rooted in creativity, reuse, and collective imagination. Sour Soup Society is a multidisciplinary design and curatorial collective whose work uses silkscreen and art as tools for imagining new possibilities. Enjoy the custom Annual Gathering design and leave with a small reminder of what nourishes us and what we create together.

Bring a t-shirt, tote bag, or another piece of fabric to print on. Well-loved and upcycled items are encouraged.

Learn more and follow their work @soursoupsociety

Cultural Food Demos

1:30 to 4:00pm — Mini Amphitheater

In partnership with Berry Good Food Foundation

Join us for live cultural food demos as local community organizations share traditional recipes and stories of nourishment. From Burmese fermented tea salad to East African Sambusas, each demo celebrates the flavors and heritage that make San Diego's communities so vibrant. Stop by to meet the presenters, taste their traditional dishes, and discover the meaningful work each organization provides our communities.

  • Preparing Laphet Thoke - Fermented green tea salad

    Karen Organization of San Diego (KOSD) advances educational, civic, & economic opportunities for ethnic groups from Burma (Myanmar) while honoring cultural heritage. Founded in 2008 through grassroots community organizing efforts, Karen community leaders had meetings to find ways to support the Karen and other refugee families from Burma who had been struggling to adjust their lives upon their arrival in San Diego. Today KOSD is a pillar in the community, offering family and community programming, case management services, civic engagement, and economic engagement through their community empowerment model.

    Learn more at karensandiego.org

  • Preparing Sambusas

    United Women of East Africa (UWEAST) is a San Diego nonprofit and cultural hub providing services and advocacy to cultivate resilience, self-sufficiency, and well-being of San Diego’s East African Community. As a community based organization of approximately 100 East African Women, they operate the East African Cultural and Community Center in City Heights, and offer programs and services with the goal of responding to overlooked health needs of East African women and their families. UWEAST envisions a flourishing East African community in San Diego, unified by cultural bonds, with the resources and opportunities for personal, social, and economic fulfillment.

    Learn more at www.uweast.org

  • Cauliflower Ceviche

    Kitchenistas® are graduates of Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center's Cooking for Salud® program in National City. Founded in 2013 with twelve Latina mothers, the movement has grown to over 275 members who teach healthy food traditions and bring families together around nourishing meals. Through free workshops on nutrition, leadership, public speaking, and financial literacy, graduates continue learning, then pass that knowledge on across their communities and schools. Most recently Kitchenistas® have launched their catering business to provide economic opportunity and workforce development to graduates.

    Learn more at olivewoodgardens.org/our-programs/kitchenistas

Post-Event Mixer

4:00 to 5:00pm — Amphitheater

In partnership with B Local San Diego and Business for Good San Diego

Close out the day in community at the post-event mixer! Enjoy appetizers featuring local fish, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and live music. This is your space to make connections, celebrate our collective work, and dance the night away.

Live music provided by Giovanni Mejia @tiogiomusic
Food generously donated by Super Cocina @supercocinasd
Beverages generously donated by @athelticbrewingco @boochcraft @oneillwines

P.S. We will be raffling off goodies from some of San Diego’s purpose driven businesses!