Martial Cottle Park

The School of Arts and Culture at MHP (SOAC) is bringing green infrastructure to a newly acquired property. La Placita is across the street from the Mexican Heritage Plaza (La Plaza), where SOAC has operated since 2011. SOAC is planning, designing, and implementing a safe, urban, public, outdoor recreational space for the Alum Rock Avenue and Eastgate Avenue sides of the acquired property. The space includes an educational experience about the native habitat of East San José.

Initially launched in response to COVID-19, Veggielution's Eastside Connect program serves more than 250 people per week through farm boxes, hot meals, and our onsite farm stand. Beginning in 2021, with the funding from the Open Space Authoriy, Veggielution will grow the capacity of Eastside Connect based on recommendations from our recent land use plan. By adding bike delivery, food safety certification, and value added products prepared by local residents, this program will help build a more pandemic- and climate-resilient local food system.

Veggielution's Urban Grower Network is a response to the need for community-based food and environmental organizations to better coordinate themselves around specific work and projects, to grow our collective impact. The Urban Grower Network initiative offers a unique opportunity for a committed group of grassroots environmental education and urban agriculture agencies, and the community members we serve, to build relational trust and connections. The organization is developing a strategic plan to build a collaborative model for enhancing access to healthy food through urban farms and gardens and developing environmental education programs and facilities throughout Santa Clara County. The Urban Grower Network aims to meet present needs and reimagine our food system to be more equitable, resilient, and sustainable for the future.