Meet Andy Gutierrez. Andy was one of the first students to sow seeds at Pie Ranch, and the experience has changed his life. He says:

“At Pie Ranch, we get to see how our ancestors were growing food. It’s the way life is supposed to be. I want to learn about food and about farming. I want to see more people stop eating fast foods.”

Two years ago, Andy graduated from Mission High School in San Francisco.  He now works at Mission Pie and is bound for culinary school. Andy is particularly moved by the experience of cooking and sharing food that he has helped to grow, and he wants other youth to have this experience. This year, Andy has returned to Pie Ranch in a new role, serving as a culinary intern and mentor in the kitchen.  He now helps to teach the newest crop of Mission students how to prepare healthy lunches with farm fresh ingredients that they have grown.

As the new President of the Board for Pie Ranch, I am proud of the youth that come to the ranch and proud of our work for food system change. I am especially inspired by the leadership Andy and his peers have shown as they translate lessons from Pie Ranch into their daily lives in the city. Through his transformative experiences at Pie Ranch, Andy is choosing to be an achiever and leader in the emerging community of citizens choosing food-based “green jobs.”

Like Andy, we want to double the amount of youth that come to Pie Ranch next year, and we need your help. Our team has grown to include an additional farm-based apprentice and urban-based youth educator to support this growth in demand.  Your gift by the end of the year will help Pie Ranch meet our goal of raising $30,000.

Youth harvest wheat to make into pie crust at Pie Ranch.

With a fully-funded team, we will continue growing and reaching hundreds of kids who have never walked on a farm, let alone prepared a meal with fresh ingredients. With your help, Pie Ranch can offer such life enhancing experiences.

Your gift of:

• $2,500 will purchase a pregnant Jersey heifer, this year’s soon-to-be educational butter producer.
• $1,500 will bring 25 youth to Pie Ranch from San Francisco (including transportation costs) to learn by working alongside sustainable farmers and by preparing a nutritious and delicious meal with a skilled nutrition educator and chef.
• $1,000 will sponsor 4 youth leaders to attend a national food system change-maker conference during the summer of 2009.
• $500 will pay for a monthly stipend for a farm apprentice to develop skills needed to become a successful, conscientious farmer dedicated to sustainability and land stewardship.
• $250 will buy supplies for one of our partner schools to build and plant a garden box in their own community, to share their Pie Ranch learning with peers.
• $100 will feed our goats for a month.
• $50 will pay for one day of a student’s on-the-job training at our farm stand, learning best practices about selling sustainable foods, customer service, and applied math.

We cannot carry out our essential programs without your support. Please click here to make a donation through our fiscal sponsor RSF* at whatever level you can afford. Please make sure to select “Green Oaks Trust/Pie Ranch” in the drop down menu.

The time is now for making the shift to a more localized sustainable food system, and Pie Ranch is in a unique position to make that happen in the Bay.  With your help we can realize the future we envision through food, farming, education and action. Please help support our work in building a sustainable food system and healthy connections with ourselves, each other, and our environment.

Please, make a gift today and ensure a long and successful future for Pie Ranch. Remember, gifts received by December 31st will count towards the 2008 tax year.

Thank you,

Betsy Rix, Pie Ranch Board President

*We are grateful to the Rudolf Steiner Foundation (RSF) for serving as our fiscal sponsor while we wait for non-profit status to be granted. If you prefer to send a donation in the mail, please make checks payable to RSF Social Finance. On the memo line of your check, please write “Green Oaks Fund,” and mail your donation to RSF Social Finance, 1002A O’Reilly Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94129.

THANK YOU AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!