Community Spotlight: Meet Sierra Doehr & Saticoy Food Hub

1.  Can you please share more about yourself and the mission of Saticoy Food Hub?

I have always been on a healing journey from my experience with colonialism in the U.S. My journey led me from food as medicine, to food education, and food systems. Today, I am an urban farmer who was inspired by neighbors’ stories about their own backyard gardens. That’s when I began to organize this collective growing power and founded Saticoy Food Hub. I am honored to have been chosen as a Social Justice Fund for Ventura County Fellow and a Vital Village Network Community Food Systems Fellow to uplift the work in community food systems at Saticoy Food Hub. At Saticoy Food Hub, we work to combat food apartheid through programs and services that directly benefit every community member while building power among BIPOC and small-scale food producers. Its mission is to create equitable economic opportunities for food producers, while increasing access to fresh, local food for community members. In order to address local food accessibility needs within the community, we established Saticoy Farmers Market and Saticoy Community Fridge, two programs prioritizing community building, mutual aid, and food justice. 

2.  Who has made a strong impact on your life and has helped you to get you where you are today? 

I am proud to be a 1st generation Filipino-American. I’m the daughter of Cynthia Baeza Sacay and granddaughter of Cecelia Baeza who immigrated from the lands we now call the Philippines. Here in the States, my family is led by our matriarch, my Tita Glace. I honor my matrilineal line because I owe who I am to the women who came before me. They have made me the strong, resilient, and heart-centered leader I am today. 

My Tita Glace taught me gardening and cooking from a young age. I have vivid memories watching her work soil in her backyard. But, she was teaching me more than garden skills. She was using the land as a means of preserving our ancestral wisdom and passing down our culture. My family comes from generations who worked rice paddy fields of the Philippines and tended to horses. I honor those that came before me whose shoulders I stand on.

3.  What are some recent highlights at Saticoy Food Hub? And what events, milestones and steps are in the near future? 

Saticoy Food Hub was awarded a full scholarship to attend the Environmental Joy Conference at Yale Center for Environmental Justice, which was a special opportunity to connect with other environmental justice leaders across the country. We installed 3 new garden towers, an indoor nursery, and a seed library. Community members can now pick fresh greens or take home seeds and nursery starts for growing food at home. We are excited to host 5 California Climate Action Corps Fellows in partnership with the Office of the Governor who supports communities combating climate change. We were recently awarded a grant from the California Department of Agriculture's Farm to Fork program to purchase two new energy efficient commercial refrigerators. This spring, Saticoy Food Hub will launch its third major project called Saticoy Sowers, a community food education program rooted in empowering local residents to participate in the local food system and grow food for their family and neighbors. Finally, this summer, Saticoy Food Hub will officially open the Saticoy Farmers Market!

4.  What about Saticoy Food Hub is special to you, what would you like our readers to know?  

The most special thing at Saticoy Food hub is the people and their efforts. Our staff leads with heart and humility. Our neighbors and friends are thoughtful of other community members and embody the spirit of mutual aid. They bring what they can share to the community fridge and take what they need. There are a few highly dedicated volunteers who show up every single day. Food justice is extremely dynamic and intersectional and we all show up to work in synergy to blueprint a food system that can uplift and liberate our community. 

5.  Why did you think it was important to become an organizational member of the CNL? What do you value most about your membership? 

It was important for Saticoy Food Hub to join CNL because we are a newer, growing organization and we were looking to build collective capacity. CNL workshops create peer-learning spaces for us to learn from other leaders, but we are also able to create synergistic connections. I believe we wouldn’t be where we are without the friends we made through CNL.

6.  How can the community support you? Where can they find you on social media? 

Show up to the farmers market and other events. Tell people about our programs. Saticoy Food Hub is also always looking for support through funding. If you are a champion for social justice and healthy food systems, you can donate at https://www.saticoyfoodhub.org/donate/donate.

As an organization that is cultivating opportunities for food producers, land access is the number one barrier to an equitable food system. As traditional ecological wisdom has taught us, when plants and people are rooted in healthy soils and engage in regenerative healing practices, communities thrive. Saticoy Food Hub continues to look for spaces to grow food. Land from small to large can make a huge impact in realizing our mission. You can also sign up for our newsletter at https://bit.ly/4bmZp4v or follow Saticoy Food Hub or its programs on social media below. 

Website URL: https://www.saticoyfoodhub.org 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saticoyfoodhub

https://www.instagram.com/saticoycommunityfridge

https://www.instagram.com/saticoyfarmersmarket

7.  Anything else you would like to add?   

Enjoy a video about our new program, Saticoy Sowers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrDgt-_zMDc  

If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about growing food. They can join the first cohort of participants this spring by filling out this form: https://bit.ly/4867fN6.