Bayside Addresses Systemic Food Insecurity with Community Gardens

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Food insecurity is a systemic and intergenerational issue facing Linda Vista, one of San Diego’s most diverse and socio-economically distressed communities.

“When we look at the impact that food insecurity is having not only on people’s physical and mental health, but also on their ability to succeed in school and maximize potential in the workforce, we truly see the scope of the problem,” comments Adam Osorio, Bayside Community Center’s Associate Director of Communications. “This type of self-perpetuating problem only gets worse over time unless a systemic solution is created,” he adds.

Bayside and partners are pioneering one such solution by converting a third of an acre of San Diego City Parks and Recreation property into a community garden.

“We’re really excited to have helped develop this first-of-its-kind initiative,” says Kim Heinle, Bayside Community Center’s Executive Director Kim. “Now that we’ve created a model for how this work can be done we are hopeful that other communities throughout our region will be able to address food insecurity in a systemic and sustainable way,” she adds.

Watch and listen to ABC 10News interview Amy Zink, Program Manager of Bayside’s Environmental Learning Center about the community garden here.

Bayside Breaks Ground with Community Partners in First-of-its-Kind Garden Project

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“This community garden will be so much more than just a beautiful green space in the community or an educational hub to address food insecurity in Linda Vista. This garden will be a model for many other communities throughout the city to grow food locally and sustainably.”
— Kim Heinle, Bayside Community Center, Executive Director

Photo credit: Some photos by John Cocozza Photography. Ariel footage by Avery Cramer.

On Saturday, December 16, 2023, Bayside Community Center and several community partners, including San Diego Parks Foundation, officially broke ground on the first-ever community garden to be developed in an existing city of San Diego park. This project is the first to make use of a 13-year-old policy that allows for public space, such as local city parks, to support community gardens.

The Director of the City of San Diego Parks and Recreation Department, Andy Field, commented, “This transformative project will bring about food opportunities for many who need it and also will demonstrate how easy it is to garden within your own community.”

Amy Zink, Bayside’s Environmental Learning Center Program Manager, who was recognized during the ceremony for her leadership in the community, explained, “Gardens like this third-of-an-acre space are an important part of addressing food insecurity because they allow for more produce to be grown locally. They also serve as a training-ground for residents to learn skills that can be used to continue growing their own food at home or on-site.”

Regarding Amy, City Councilmember Raul Campillo, added, “There’s nobody who makes more food, brings more people together, [or] teaches more children about this part of the miracle of gardening than you.”

Mayor Todd Gloria also remarked, “This has been a community-led effort and it takes an organization that has the trust of the community to be able to do that. Bayside Community Center has been doing hard and important work in this neighborhood for a very long time.”

Regarding this historic project, Kim Heinle, Bayside Community Center’s Executive Director, concluded, “This community garden will be so much more than just a beautiful green space in the community or an educational hub to address food insecurity in Linda Vista. This garden will be a model for many other communities throughout the city to grow food locally and sustainably.”

As reported by Times of San Diego, “Bayside Community Center, a Linda Vista community-based nonprofit with a 90-year legacy, will operate and manage the Linda Vista Community Garden when completed next year. The Linda Vista Community Garden was previously housed onsite at Bayside Community Center from 2011-2017. The center has been working to find a new home for the garden over the past six years.”

Read more news coverage of this event provided by Christy Simeral writing for Fox 5 San Diego and Roma Chang writing for Hoodline.

Recovering Food with Produce Good

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Since 2020, Bayside Community Center has partnered with Produce Good, a non-profit organization committed to finding sustainable solutions to alleviate hunger, reclaim and repurpose waste and promote the health and well-being of all.

This partnership has resulted in providing over 31,980 pounds of fresh produce to Linda Vista residents through Bayside’s weekly food distributions. Join CBS’s Jeff Zevely to learn more about this work.

In addition to these services, learn how Bayside is addressing food insecurity with education and advocacy here.

Bayside Community Helps San Diego Foundation Expand Green Workforce Opportunities

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We are proud to work with San Diego Foundation, Access Inc. and San Diego Co-Harvest Foundation to expand job training and opportunities for Green Workforce development. Over the course of the next 12 months, we'll be working together to train new workers and leaders in this important sector. Read the full article here: www.sdfoundation.org/news-events/sdf-news

Bayside Hosts Vaccine Clinic Ahead of Looming Flu Season

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SAN DIEGO County health officials are warning of a “tripledemic” this winter as cases of flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID are expected to rise reports Fox 5 San Diego.

County health workers are hoping to get ahead of the “tripledemic” by putting on free flu shot clinics where people can get a shot without even making an appointment.

Bayside Community Center hosted one such clinic in an effort to help keep community members healthy ahead of looming flu season.

“We recognize that every person that comes through is now a person that is protected and that makes for a safer healthier community which is what we want,” noted Bayside Community Center Executive Director Kim Heinle.

Watch the full report here.

City Council Proclaim March 11, Bayside Community Center Day

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Contributed by the Linda Vista Update.

Bayside Community Center, currently celebrating its 90th year of operating as a non-profit, neighborhood-based organization, was recently recognized by the city of San Diego with a proclamation declaring March 11, 2022, as Bayside Community Center Day.  The proclamation was presented last Friday by District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo at an event that took place at John Baca Park.  Many Linda Vista residents were in attendance to observe the presentation of the proclamation to this long-time Linda Vista institution.  

Bayside Community Center was recognized in the proclamation for addressing the “immediate challenges of San Diegans by providing essential social services to thousands of residents annually,” and advocating “for long-term, systematic changes to improve the quality of life for everyone who lives in, or visits the region.”

The proclamation also acknowledged Bayside for going “above and beyond to meet the needs of our people, and to improve the quality of life for San Diegans, their families, and their communities, by providing education and training to community members.”  

Bayside Community Center first opened in 1932 as Bayside Settlement House, and was originally located in Little Italy.  It was founded by the Sisters of Social Service “to empower and meet the needs of lower income immigrants and native-born residents in urban settings.”  The Settlement House provided services to Italian and Portuguese fisherman and their families.

Bayside eventually changed its name and moved to Linda Vista in the 1970’s. It began to operate as a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization while providing support to the influx of immigrants that arrived from Southeast Asia. It is now located at 2202 Comstock Street.   

The current mission of the Bayside Community Center is to “empower our diverse community to improve its quality of life through services, education, and advocacy.”

Bayside provides a number of services for the community to include a senior lunch program, emergency food distribution, an academic club, language assistance, the resident leadership academy, and an environmental center that teaches skills related to urban agriculture and sustainability.

You can catch up on or refresh your understanding of the Bayside Community Center by reading four previous Linda Vista Update articles that featured the Center’s Executive Director Kim Heinle, the Urban Farming Program, the Tiny Gardens Recipe Book, and its Resident Leadership Academy.

Bayside will continue to hold events celebrating its 90th anniversary during the year.

Councilman Campillo and FACT Join Bayside in Addressing Senior Transportation Concerns

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Read the Times of San Diego article here.

SAN DIEGO- In 2018, San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) route 25 was discontinued, potentially impacting thousands of Linda Vista, Clairemont, and Tierra Santa residents.

Bayside Community Center has advocated for transportation solutions as a part of the Linda Vista Planning Group since 2015. Regarding the loss of route 25, Bayside’s Executive Director, Kim Heinle, commented, “We believe that every single person in our neighborhoods should be able to access the basic necessities of life. When transportation options get cut, it jeopardizes lives and contributes to senior isolation. We’re going to do everything we can with our partners and residents to prevent that.”

After four years of advocating at both the neighborhood and institutional levels, an innovative solution is in sight. District 7 City Councilmember, Raul Campillo, and San Diego non-profit Facilitating Access to Coordinated Transportation (FACT) join the effort to address the mobility needs of San Diego’s aging senior population. Learn what Bayside has done to support seniors in recent years here.

“I’m thrilled to officially launch this pilot program today which will make our communities safer, more equitable and more accessible for all,” Campillo said. “Not having access to a car should never be a burden to accessing basic necessities like groceries and prescriptions.”

Heinle added, “Advocacy is at the core of Bayside’s mission to empower its diverse community to improve its quality of life. Through long-term, structural changes like bringing down the cost of door-to-door transportation alternatives that are senior-friendly, FACT and Councilmember Campillo are elevating and addressing the needs of some of our most vulnerable populations.'“

Seniors can call (760) 754-1252 or visit factsd.org for information. FACT provides the rides, which range from $2.50 for up to five-mile rides to $10.00 for rides longer than 20.1 miles.

Bayside Plants Seeds of Joy this Summer with the San Diego Foundation and San Diego Unified

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After being separated from family, friends, and fun outdoor activities for nearly a year, many students will reconnect this summer through the San Diego Foundation’s free summer enrichment program Level-Up SD.

In partnership with San Diego Unified and over 65 nonprofit organizations, including Bayside Community Center, the San Diego Foundation expects to provide fun and engaging experiences for approximately 30,000 students this summer.

Regarding the importance of this program, Bayside’s Amy Zink says, “We know that education and health experts have all agreed that after the past year of lockdown, children really benefit from activities that focus on outdoor play, exercise, the arts and collaborative activities. This is an opportunity for them to have some outside enrichment in a program where we can help them deal with some of their stress and anxiety.”

This summer, Bayside served 45 students with two different summer programs; Garden Therapy in Linda Vista and the Academic Club. Level-Up SD programs will continue districtwide through the end of August. Read more about the program here.

Interview with Bayside Community Center's Executive Director

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Bayside Community Center’s incoming Executive Director, Kim Heinle, was recently interviewed by The Linda Vista Update. Read the full interview here and learn more about what is on the horizon for Bayside and Linda Vista. Your can also read about some of her favorite memories, experiences, and meals in the neighborhood too!