ENJOY A DELICIOUS HELPING OF COMMUNITY SERVICE THIS EARTH DAY

SUNNYVALE, Calif.-  On the eve of Earth Day and the heels of President Obama's call for increased service and stewardship, we invite the community to use their forks as a powerful tool for change. Full Circle Feast is a fundraiser and more. This organic, local-foods dinner, features 4 homegrown nonprofits: Full Circle Farm, Community Alliance of Family Farms (CAFF), Our Daily Bread, and Silicon Valley Foodways.  More than that, it is the kickoff for a regional planning effort toward an improved local food system.

One of the most positive effects we can have on the environment begins on our dinner plate and the heartiest, tastiest foods are regionally based. Silicon Valley comes together this Earth Day to make ours even stronger, chewing our way to a healthier food-shed. The Full Circle Feast breaks the food system into the "Full Circle Food Cycle," and its three parts - producers, distributors and users, with beneficiary nonprofits serving one of those roles in our community. A fourth group, Silicon Valley Foodways, is also honored this evening, as the Full Circle Feast officially introduces their ground-breaking food policy effort, an interactive county -wide food shed assessment that will set the table for increased local food access and decreased food waste.

Full Circle Feast starts off the evening with seasonal, organic appetizers served on the deck of the newly opened Art Institute of California - Sunnyvale. A salubrious and sustainable sit down dinner follows, prepared by the students at the International Culinary School. The Art Institute's executive chef Eric Frauwirth, visiting chef and author Laura Stec, and representatives of the beneficiary organizations, will offer a course-by-course description of the "story behind the food." John Dickman, former Global Food Service Manager for Google will serve as our keynote speaker for the evening.

This fundraiser is unique in that what benefits one group, benefits all. Attendees will enjoy a delicious meal and the opportunity to participate personally in addressing these exciting issues.  Nonprofits receive funding benefits, and we come together to celebrate the interconnected delights of good food, good works, and the start of a stronger regional effort to build a healthy, sustainable food system. Happy Earth Day!

Coalition of Groups and Projects

Producer: Full Circle Farm

An 11-acre sustainable, educational farm based in Sunnyvale, CA that inspires curiosity, cultivates environmental leadership, and promotes physical activity and a deep appreciation of fresh, healthy foods. (www.fullcirclesunnyvale.org)

Distributor: Community Alliance of Family Farms (CAFF)

With offices in Sunnyvale, Davis, and Watsonville, CA, CAFF is building a movement of rural and urban people to foster family-scale agriculture that cares for the land, sustains local economies and promotes social justice. (www.caff.org)

User: Our Daily Bread

Part of St. Thomas Church in Sunnyvale, CA, Our Daily Bread serves needy people hot, nutritious meals, incorporating foods from Full Circle Farm. (www.stthomas-svale.org)

Silicon Valley Foodways

Sponsored by The Health Trust and Healthy Silicon Valley of San Jose, Foodways is a collection of food groups and advocates working together to improve our regional food system. (http://www.healthysiliconvalley.org/sectors/#Food)

Silicon Valley Foodshed Assessment

Envisioned as a regional expansion on the recently completed San Francisco assessment, this study will establish markers such as where our food comes from within Silicon Valley, where it goes, who has access to it, and the amount of agricultural land still available for use. It will offer data and tools needed by regional planners to insure a vibrant regional food system