December 19, 2024 • 35 mins
Join us as we wrap up 2024 with community leader and food sovereignty advocate Sara Continenza. Sara is the founder and executive director of Food Strong, a non-profit connecting kids with food since 2016. Sara and her staff work with the Cleveland Municipal School District and other inner-city schools to provide hands-on learning experiences in gardening, nutrition, and entrepreneurship. Recently, Food Strong's mission to educate, empower, and cultivate health through fresh foods just got a significant boost. Community Greenhouse Partners recently gifted them a three-acre farm site on Superior Avenue in Cleveland's east side. The property includes a historic house, church, food forest, farmland, and hoop houses that Food Strong is transforming into its Superior Farm. This neighborhood hub will support food sovereignty, climate resistance, and community connections. An estimated $5 million is needed to realize her vision for the property, along with the help of thousands of volunteers and neighbors. This extraordinary project is urban restoration at its best, feeding bodies, minds, and souls. Join us as we speak with Sara about this project, the wisdom of kids, Food Strong's work, and ways you can help.
Our Guest:
Sara Continenza, Founder and Executive Director of Food Strong
Learn More:
About Food Strong
About The Superior Farm Fix-Up Project
Donate to Food Strong's Farm Project
Become a Supporter
Volunteer Evenings
Food Strong's Programs
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Diane Bickett (00:04):
You're listening to Together, we speak with local
sustainability leaders andinvite you to connect, learn,
and live with our community andplanet in mind.
EcoSpeak CLE, a podcast for theeco-curious in Northeast Ohio.
My name is Diane Bickett and myproducer is Greg Rotuno.
Thanks for joining us for ourlast podcast of 2024.
(00:25):
We are so grateful to you forlistening, for learning and for
all the ways you are caring forour planet, our community and
each other.
Let's carry that hope andcommitment into 2025 with our
guest today, Sara Continenza.
Sara is the founder andexecutive director of Food
Strong.
Food Strong was recently gifteda three-acre farm site on
(00:46):
Superior Avenue at East 67thStreet, and Sara, along with her
community partners, areembarking on a five-year capital
project to transform theproperty into a community hub
that will feed bodies, minds andsouls.
Join us as we speak with Saraabout the project and how she
works to connect kids with food,to educate, empower and
cultivate health throughoutNortheast Ohio.
(01:08):
Welcome, Sara.
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm glad we could finally gettogether.
We have met a couple times overthe last couple weeks.
It has been a pleasure to getto know you better.
As we did that, I picked up afew what I'm calling Sara, which
I will just read here.
Store-bought tomatoes tastelike disappointment.
(01:29):
That's one of my favorite ones.
If you can't pronounce it,don't eat it.
And food is everywhere.
I really love all three ofthose.
How do all those Sara play intoyour mission?
Sara Continenza (01:41):
You know, with our various programs we are
constantly talking about howfood nourishes the body or can
potentially poison the body,depending on what choices you're
making.
And unfortunately, in a lot ofthe communities we serve, you
know the choices people make arethe choices that they have
available to them and so youknow people can't help if they
(02:04):
don't have a grocery storenearby.
They can't help if they lack alot of options and education
around how to utilize healthyoptions.
You know there's not a ton ofthat available right now and so
we do very, we work very hard toengage our students in various
schools with our schoolprogramming.
(02:25):
It's a holistic school garden,culinary arts, nutrition and
entrepreneurship program that wecall our Food Sovereignty
School program.
And if you don't know what foodsovereignty means, it's really
just all around the principle ofengaging the food consumers in
every element of the process, of, you know, farm to plate.
(02:48):
You know there's a lot morethan just going to the grocery
store or the food pantry gettingthe food.
Someone had to grow that food,someone had to, you know,
produce that food, package thefood.
Someone had to sell the food,ship the food, take pictures of
the food.
There's so many differentelements of that process and
people are very passive rightnow.
(03:09):
They're passive consumers andthey don't really know what
they're putting in their bodies,they don't know where it's
coming from, they don't knowwhat was done to the food, what
was sprayed on the food, and sowe're reconnecting our students
and the communities we servewith all those processes.
That's food sovereignty, right.
It's teaching the man to fishinstead of giving the man the
fish, right.
Both are important because youneed to get through every day,
(03:31):
and an empty belly won't helpyou get through a day.
Very well.
But once you've gotten throughthat day and your belly's full,
what can we do to keep younourished for life, so that you
know you have the knowledge tobe able to access foods in a
variety of ways?
As you said, food is everywhereand some people don't realize
(03:51):
that literally in your ownbackyard or in the woods there
are a ton of different nativeedible plants or even non-native
, but foods that are growing andthat are very nourishing.
So we work with our scholars,we guide our scholars in the
schools we're in about 13schools right now, mostly in
Cleveland Public Schools, okayand we work very closely with
(04:14):
the district, specifically thescience and nutrition
departments.
We're very ingrained with thenutrition department, to the
point where we actually get afresh fruit and veggie bar at
every school, that we have ourprogram, which is amazing, wow,
um, shout out to bob gorman, uh,becky and everyone at the
department doing wonderful work,um.
And so we're a gratefuldepartment with them, and so we
(04:34):
guide our students through theprocess of, you know, building
these on-site school gardens.
We have food, native perennialplants, herbs, and then we also
talk about the nutritionEverything we grow.
Right, we're not going to say,hey, eat this tomato, but we'll
talk about why that tomato isred.
What is that?
That's lycopene.
What is lycopene good for?
(04:55):
Let's talk about that.
It's good for your immunesystem, your heart health, all
those different things.
And we dive deep so that ourstudents can really understand
the why.
It's not just a lecture, butthey're getting, you know, a
full, well-rounded educationaround that.
Diane Bickett (05:14):
So you're in 13 schools within the Cleveland
Municipal School District, tenin the CMSD, and then we're in a
couple other districts.
Sara Continenza (05:18):
We have a school in East Cleveland, and
then we have our learning gardenin East Cleveland as well, at
the Coit Road Farmers Market,and then we also have our school
that we do in partnership withthe Impact Program and Shaker
Middle School.
Diane Bickett (05:35):
Wow, that's amazing.
So when did you start doingthis?
Sara Continenza (05:39):
I started working with the district and
community partners to build outa school garden toolkit back in
2016.
And then, in 17, I launched,piloted the program in a couple
of CMSD schools Artemis Ward,and then Iowa Maple Elementary,
which ended up closing a coupleof weeks after the pandemic
lockdowns.
So those kids could only saygoodbye to each other, waving in
(06:01):
a little car train parade, andso I knew how traumatized they
must have already been.
So we hadn't finished ourprogram yet and we were working
on a CAC funded mural at thetime.
So I ended up getting some landFood Strong to to use at the
Coit Road farmers market wherewe'd already been doing our
caravan health and wellnesscommunity program, and so they
(06:23):
gave us some land and we workedwith our students from Iowa
Maple and others to build thatgarden out, started with about
four little garden beds, and ithas expanded to a full-on urban
farm that has a farm manager,jeff, now that takes care of it,
and we've been growing eversince, and that was a really
cool opportunity to, you know,respond to that situation and be
(06:44):
able to convene our people in asafe environment.
So that was really cool.
Diane Bickett (06:48):
So the kids are coming to the farm, or, yeah, we
host field trips there,workshops, learning experiences,
events.
Sara Continenza (06:56):
We also use the food that we grow to sell at
the Coit Market and then we havea mobile farm stand that we'll
take out to other markets andother community settings,
specifically ones of low access,and we're looking to continue
to expand our model to sellother types of foods and local
products to support other localbusinesses and provide further
(07:16):
access to people.
And we accept all the differentincentive programs like SNAP
and produce perks, seniorcoupons, et cetera, etc.
And we work with some of ourstudents to help run that as
well, to give them workforcedevelopment and entrepreneurship
experience.
So that's been wonderful, youknow.
So it's been a journey, right,you know the world will often
(07:39):
shape and shift how you operate,and you know we shape and shift
with the world.
Yeah, and we want to make sure,at the end of the day, that
we're doing whatever we can toprepare our communities for
whatever's next, because we'renot sure, right, we don't know
what could happen.
But if you have a goodrelationship with the land, you
know how to cultivate the land,you know how to identify edible
(08:02):
plants and do just simple thingslike that that we've completely
lost connection with over thelast couple of generations.
If we can do that, then we'regoing to be a lot better off.
You know, scarcity is a myth ifyou know how to look at it, and
so we're trying to perpetuatethat knowledge and empower our
youth, specifically to take thatand become innovators, because
(08:25):
they are extremely creative andinnovative.
You know we have had studentsstart their own businesses,
food-based businesses and others.
Jeffrey has been creating forseveral years now his baked
goods that are free of the nineallergens and his company called
Far From the ER.
Jeffrey's one of your students.
He had been, yeah, but we nowjust mentor him on the side and
(08:48):
he's been, you know, blossoming,and we're really proud of him,
and that's just one example.
And so you know we lovecultivating those kinds of
things.
Diane Bickett (08:55):
What age group do you typically like to work with
in this program?
Sara Continenza (09:00):
We're K through 12.
Oh really, yeah.
So our sweet spot has beenupper elementary school, some
middle, but we have a couple ofhigh schools and lower
elementary as well.
Diane Bickett (09:08):
Okay, what's your impact?
Sara Continenza (09:09):
been so far?
Well, we do notice through oursurveys that there is definitely
a positive change in socialemotional learning, specifically
team building, self-confidence,and we also see improvements in
people's knowledge andattitudes toward you know eating
, healthy, gardening, cooking,and you know a lot of the
(09:32):
concepts we talk about.
So we, you know that's just thequantitative, but you know
qualitatively, we've seen a tonof different examples of people
you know improving theirlifestyles, improving their
attendance at school, theirgrades getting better, and
teachers have had a lot of greatstories about how that's
(09:53):
improved their classroomsoverall too.
Diane Bickett (09:55):
And they're taking that knowledge home to
their families.
I love that you're bringing thefresh food into the schools.
It can't be easy working withthe Cleveland Municipal School
District.
How did you?
How was your first entry withthem?
Sara Continenza (10:08):
I started by working with Kirsten and Terry
at the science department, andthey're the ones that helped us
build out the toolkit Wow, andthey gave me a lot of guidance
on how to pull suggestions onhow to teach to the test through
the lens of gardening, which Ihad not thought about so deeply,
but that's how you're going toget a school to adopt this
(10:28):
successfully because there'ssuch an emphasis.
Diane Bickett (10:29):
Yeah, you have to meet those learning standards,
All that yeah, okay.
Sara Continenza (10:32):
So that's kind of how we started, but it's
actually been a real pleasureworking with CMSD.
Good Is it a challengesometimes, of course you know
any bigger institutional settingcan be.
There's the bureaucracyinvolved and things like that,
but they have been an absolutelyphenomenal partner and we've
even gone in on some grantstogether, like the United Way a
(10:56):
Greater Cleveland grant that wegot that.
They have supported ourcapacity building and our school
programming.
We've gotten Rite Aid HealthyFutures Foundation dollars to
help support our work in theCleveland schools.
So it's been a really wonderfulrelationship.
That has helped us as anorganization too, and it helped
us.
We recently hired a secondeducator because of the support,
even during a time of economicdistress, which has been really
(11:17):
great because there have beenbudget cuts in the district.
It has put a lot of pressure onprograms like ours, but we've
been able to continue and expanddue to that support, which is
awesome.
How many?
Diane Bickett (11:27):
staff do you have so far?
Sara Continenza (11:30):
Four full-time staff members, including myself,
and then we have about fivepart-time folks, some you know,
are you know?
Diane Bickett (11:39):
some of the educators and grant writers, and
then Jeff Baylor, who is yourfarm manager, formerly with
Ladistry Farms.
Sara Continenza (11:47):
Yeah, and we have our marketing person,
heather, and, yeah, we have anawesome crew.
We have a great crew.
We also partner with AmeriCorps, so we have a mod through
AmeriCorps which has been very,very helpful over the years and
tons of volunteers and communitypartners.
Diane Bickett (12:00):
I'm assuming.
Sara Continenza (12:00):
Over a thousand this year alone.
Wow.
Diane Bickett (12:02):
Volunte Wow, awesome.
So what is it in yourbackground that helped you
develop the skills necessary torun this incredible organization
?
Sara Continenza (12:14):
Well, I think a lot of my grit comes from Peace
Corps.
You know, living in a mud hutin the middle of nowhere trying
to implement programming.
And I would say you know justmy travels over the world.
Um, you know, I lived in japan.
I've lived in europe, in france, I've, you know, I've had a ton
(12:35):
of experiences in a variety ofcultures I've experienced what
it's like to be the minority.
I've experienced hunger likeI've been around, you know, raw
hunger.
I've seen, you know extremehigh quality of life in a place
like Japan and I've seen all ofit and it really has given me a
lot of perspective and I cameback with all that knowledge.
(12:56):
And then, you know, working atthe Hunger Network really gave
me a lot of experience in thenonprofit sector.
I, when I start, went off on myown.
I was writing grants andworking with groups like Refresh
Collective, which gave me a lotof wonderful experience.
Getting my master's in publicadministration at CSU was a
phenomenal tool for me to bothnetwork and gain important
(13:20):
knowledge on this.
So I think just all myexperiences have played into it
in a lot of ways.
Diane Bickett (13:24):
Wow, I'm really impressed.
You're also a member of theSouth Euclid City Council.
You've been with, you've beenon council since when 2018.
Wow, since 2018.
So government experience you'vejust nonprofit experience,
leadership all that Plus.
You're a forager.
Sara Continenza (13:42):
Right leadership all that Plus you're
a forager right, I love to tastewhat nature has to offer.
Diane Bickett (13:54):
I love that.
So let's talk about your bigproject and how our listeners
can help you with that.
Superior Farm is the name ofthe three acre farm that was
gifted to you, and I was able togo visit you at the farm.
It was a very cold day, but wegot a quick tour.
I noticed that there's a lot ofopportunity there.
Tell us the background of howyou were gifted the farm.
(14:17):
What's there now, what it lookslike today and what, what your
vision is for, what it will looklike in, say, five years
Awesome.
Sara Continenza (14:23):
Well, thanks for bringing that up.
It's a massive endeavor rightday.
And what?
What your vision is for, whatit will look like in, say, five
years?
Awesome, well, thanks forbringing that up.
It's a massive endeavor rightnow.
Um, I went to that site severaltimes the most you know over
the years when it was communitygreenhouse partners under the
leadership of tim smith, whoI've known since the 90s really
from you know hanging out oncoventry and you know the whole
cle Heights scene, and I wentthere back in 2017, and I just
(14:47):
remember getting a tour andbeing amazed at the
possibilities, taking a pictureof the inside of the sanctuary
of the church, and it's still onmy Instagram to this day that
picture so background there is achurch, a huge church, on the
property that was formerly uh,the saint george's lithuanian
catholic church.
Okay, a huge building, that'swhat it was built to be in the
(15:08):
20s.
Um, yeah, and so we went there.
I took a picture and I'm likeimagine the possibilities.
Yeah, and this was before foodstrong was even a concept.
So fast forward, um you knowfunny how life comes back around
and I've been talking aboutwanting land and doing some
place making in a communitysetting, in a good part of town,
that we could have an impactand really build out our place
(15:29):
and build out our headquartersand also work with the community
to envision what the spacecould be in terms of food
sovereignty and just holisticwraparound care.
And so it was, you know, broughtto my attention by the board
president, John, who was I hadmet at one of my community
(15:51):
gatherings that they had aproposal out, a request for
proposals to differentorganizations to see who would
want to acquire that property,which includes that church, a
farmhouse that has about 4,500square feet, 10 bedrooms, and
it's a beautiful old Italianarchitectural style farmhouse.
(16:12):
And then that was the originalstructure on the property.
It predates historical recordkeeping.
There's no records of it.
It's pretty cool.
And then it's on virginfarmland and there's a food
forest planted on the front yardon Superior there now, which
Community Greenhouse Partnershave done, and there's a
(16:33):
five-car garage and a wholebunch of land.
It's almost three acres.
So we're gathering ourcommunity partners, stakeholders
and everyone to startenvisioning what this is going
to look.
Greater Cleveland Constructionhas donated their time to help
us kind of get started on thisprocess and we're phasing it out
.
So we're starting with gettingthe house in order, at least the
interior and the structuralstuff, so that we can move our
(16:55):
headquarters into the house andthe upstairs will either be
housing or office spaces.
We're waiting to determine thatbased on a variety of factors,
but then we'll be able to movein and then continue working off
the space and clearing the land, beautifying landscaping,
planning out our farm, workingwith the community, engaging
(17:16):
with the neighbors andstakeholders to really come up
with a cohesive, collaborativeplan and eventually it's looking
to maybe three years down theline is when we'll really get
super into the remodeling andremediation of the church, which
is definitely over 20,000square feet.
It has two massive gatheringspaces, eight classrooms and
(17:41):
requires definitely millions ofdollars in work, but it would be
definitely worth repairing andrestoring because it is gorgeous
in there and you know it'sgoing to be a really awesome
opportunity to have a beautifulspace in the community for
gathering, for learning, for,you know, convening.
It's going to be wonderful andwe're really excited about it,
(18:01):
but it definitely is a hugeproject.
So we love our volunteers.
Like I said, we've had a ton ofvolunteers, uh, so far we
couldn't do what we do withoutthem and we are so appreciative
of the groups that have come out, corporate groups, student
groups and, um, we are going tobe, uh, continuing to gather
these groups, differentvolunteer groups, at the farm
(18:24):
year round, every other thursday, 5 to 7 pm after work hours so
people can make it and, uh, it'seven now, so, even though it's
dark, people can.
We're doing a lot of clearingout in the church and just
getting things ready.
Um, and then the other reallyimportant thing that we need
right now is obviously somefunds.
So you know, we have our donatenow button on foodstronorg,
(18:46):
which has a whole landing pageabout the farm and everything
we're up to and the, thestrategic planning and process
and everything.
So you know we are acceptingdonations as well.
And there will be, through thecapital campaign that has been
launched by bone and feather LLC, our you know different naming
rights and sponsorshipopportunities as we progress how
big is your capital campaign?
Diane Bickett (19:07):
how are you trying to raise to achieve the
vision over the five years Phase?
Sara Continenza (19:13):
one.
We're aiming for another$400,000.
Okay, that'll get us in thehouse.
It'll do all the improvementswe need on the house, at least
unless anything comes up, whichwe know things happen all the
time.
But being able to get theelectric in order, the you know,
all the major repairs, thecosmetic stuff, you know that
would be about 400.
(19:33):
That's for phase one.
We want to get in the house andthen we will be phasing it out.
The church will be more of alikely five million dollar
campaign.
From what we've gathered fromthe quotes we've gotten.
That will be down the road.
Our goal first is to get intothe house so we can start
operating out of it and continueour placemaking.
Okay, and we're really excitedbecause we have a continued
(19:53):
partnership with Cuyahoga County.
We have been implementing overthe last several years of vacant
lot restoration initiative inpartnership with Riddle Green
Partnership and the CuyahogaCounty Land Bank, and so we are
looking forward to theopportunity to continue to work
with groups all around northeastohio in acquiring and restoring
their lots in their communitiesthrough sustainable ag and
(20:13):
navigating the you know,sometimes very challenging
bureaucratic systems that are inplace that hold that hold the
keys to these different leasesand ownership opportunities for
the lots.
So what we're envisioning atthis space is that we can bring
people to us and get themtrained and experienced in
farming and learning more abouthow to navigate some of these
(20:35):
public sector situations so thatthey can more likely acquire
the lots and either a lease orownership based on their needs.
I know that the city's workingon building out a community land
trust so we could help peopletry to navigate that system as
well, if that makes sense.
So there's a ton ofopportunities for collaboration
there, and so we're imagininglike a really intensive kind of
(20:59):
workforce development space.
Diane Bickett (21:01):
That's really important, because how many
vacant lots are there inCleveland approximately?
Sara Continenza (21:07):
I've heard like Well the land bank has about
17,000, but there are, I believe, over 30,000 vacant lots in the
city of Cleveland.
Diane Bickett (21:15):
Yeah, and the public forum is often talking
about the potential of theselots, but no one is really
talking about how to acquirethem, how to improve them and
that sort of thing.
Sara Continenza (21:28):
So that's something that you'll be working
on and there are some reallygood projects happening underway
that are working toward that,like Cleveland and some other
groups through the WesternReserve, land Conservancy,
through the city, through thecounty there's various groups
doing wonderful work on that forsure, and so we're definitely
not reinventing any wheels.
It's more like just making surethat everyone is aware of all
(21:50):
the great work being done andknowing how to participate in
that work whenever necessary.
We definitely, you know, knowour place in this, which is food
, and we want to just make surethat we are able to connect as
necessary.
Diane Bickett (22:07):
Okay, I understand.
So, in addition to donatingmoney, because I think you'll be
going to big corporate donors,so for any big corporate donor
listeners out there that want toget behind a good project, I
mean I'll- tell you $5,.
Sara Continenza (22:20):
$10 is also very helpful.
Diane Bickett (22:23):
Absolutely Just like a political campaign, right
, but you're also looking for,like skills-based volunteers.
How can those people that youknow, how can we contribute our
time?
What needs do you have?
Carpenters, electricians.
Sara Continenza (22:37):
Yeah, so as we move on this project, you know
if there are any licensedinsured you know type of you
know, supporters.
Greg Rotuno (22:45):
You know type of.
You know supporters you?
Sara Continenza (22:46):
know that are willing to kind of support us in
you know the various elementsof the restoration process.
We'd be really grateful.
But you know, in general to ourorganization, you can always
use support with things likegrant writing, marketing.
(23:07):
You know IT support, you knowthere's.
We are working right now toenhance our capacity, but
there's a lot of things thatI've continued to realize I need
support with.
You know we're a small, growingteam, a small growing
organization, and skills-basedvolunteers are super vital.
We've been working very closelywith BVU over the years.
They've helped send us amazingsupporters like Bone and Feather
LLC, kevin Ament he wasconnected to us through BVU,
(23:30):
amongst other amazing boardmembers like Sam Weir, who's our
secretary he's at Thompson Highand LLP.
So we've had a wonderfulsupport network so far and I
think what we could continue touse help with is those definite
other areas administratively,along with what the farm needs,
because it all plays together.
(23:51):
We need to be able to make surethat we aren't leaving one side
, uh, kind of to the waysidewhile we focus heavily on the
other.
Diane Bickett (23:58):
So it's going to be a holistic approach okay and
um, I just lost what I was goingto say so, your Thursday
volunteering.
How does that work?
What do you call it?
Volunteer Thursdays?
Yeah, volunteer, I want tocircle back to that Sure From 5
(24:20):
to 7, people just show up.
Sara Continenza (24:21):
People can show up.
We do have sign-up registrationonline on foodstrongorg Just
click on Farm or Programs.
And we are right now in theoff-season.
We're doing stuff indoorsmostly and we have been clearing
out every classroom in thechurch, so those have been used
(24:42):
for storage and there are just alot of stuff that needs to go
in the dumpster.
You know a lot of organizing,just kind of figuring out what
could be consolidated so that wecan clear out some of the
classrooms, make room for someof the other stuff that might be
coming in or some of the otheractivities that might be, you
know, happening.
So that's a big thing that'sgoing on right now.
(25:04):
We've already filled up almostfour dumpsters since we've been
there.
Um, I hate trash, I hatefilling up landfills.
But we've, we are you got toclear it out.
We participate in the circulareconomy whenever possible.
So we, anything that's usable,we keep in the church.
That's why we have it beingreorganized.
But yeah, that um cutting upand disposing while the old
(25:24):
carpets everywhere and you know,just kind of making sure that
when we are ready to take nextsteps, we are ready for that.
Diane Bickett (25:32):
Okay, and you have an online newsletter people
can sign up for.
Sara Continenza (25:37):
Yeah, when you go to foodstronorg it pops up
Subscribe now.
Just plug in your email, Okay.
Diane Bickett (25:42):
Talk about the neighborhood and what it looks
like around the farm, and youhad mentioned, when we were
walking the farm, that theCleveland Foundation has a big
project nearby, so this wholeneighborhood, the St Clair
Superior neighborhood, borderson the Huff neighborhood.
There's a lot of other stuff.
You talk about the circulareconomy, too.
(26:03):
Going on like the RebuildersExchange and Upcycle Part Shop
is close by, so you'll be aintegral part of this community.
Going back to the ClevelandFoundation, though, can you
explain what?
There is a housing project orsomething you're talking about?
Sara Continenza (26:19):
well, the Cleveland Foundation is located
in other new headquarters andsoon to be collaboration space
at Euclid and 66th Street, so acouple of streets over.
Yeah, it's like about, I wouldsay, a mile down.
But this East 66th Streetcorridor, as they're calling it,
is something that they'reworking on very heavily and so
(26:39):
they're very focused on thatHuff and soon-to-be St Clair
Superior neighborhood.
And so when you're going down66 and you end up at Superior,
you're facing our space, okay.
So we're just kind of like thecaboose of the corridor or the
icing on the cake.
Exactly.
I love that.
(26:59):
So, yeah, we're going to beworking with them to ensure that
we are working together oncommunity engagement and just
making sure that we're verystrategic in how we approach all
this, because the last thing Iwant to do is do something for a
community or in a communityright, the preposition I choose
is with the community, so that'ssuper important.
(27:20):
And then the neighborhood aroundour church.
Actually, you know people takea lot of care for their homes,
like when you walk the streetsaround our church.
Actually, you know people takea lot of care for their homes,
like when you walk the streetsaround the church.
A lot of those homes are inreally good shape.
People take a lot of pride tocare for them.
There's a church right acrossthe street from us.
The Hells Angels are nearby,you know.
We've got a lot of prettyawesome neighbors and our site
(27:45):
has left a lot to be desiredover the years.
So that's why we've been reallyworking on we've we painted the
front of the church to methrough michael wall.
She donated some of theservices to paint the front of
the church and we have, you know, through our volunteers from
mckinsey and co.
They actually, you know,removed most of the sod that was
covering all the sidewalks andnow people can walk safely.
And we removed most of the sodthat was covering all the
(28:06):
sidewalks and now people canwalk safely.
And we've been clearing off theproperty of all the debris and
old wood and fallen trees andthings like that Bricks
everywhere.
So it's already looking a lotbetter from just a couple months
we've been able to put in and Ijust want to make sure that we
are part of that community thattakes pride in its surroundings.
(28:28):
Yeah, the community deservesthat it doesn't deserve to have
another crumbling building.
Diane Bickett (28:32):
Well said, and you're working with the
neighbors to get their input onthe vision for the?
Sara Continenza (28:37):
property too.
Exactly, and we're reallyexcited because not only is this
going to be a food sovereigntyspace, but climate resilience
hub sovereignty space, butclimate resilience hub.
I want to make sure that thisis a safe space for people to be
able to access for in times ofneed, right If maybe the grid
goes down or other issues.
We're very much focused onrenewable energy and how we can
(29:00):
incorporate that into the spaceso that we don't have issues
should something like that occurand people can turn to us if
they need us.
Diane Bickett (29:09):
Wow, I love the vision.
You want to talk a little bitabout your experience working
with kids.
I mean, you give a lot to thekids, but you're learning a lot
from them too.
Can you give us some examplesof some of the stars you've
worked with that inspire youevery day to keep going?
Sara Continenza (29:27):
I mean there's so many to even consider.
I've had kids really transformover the years.
One of my first class I evertaught I had a young lady who
was having a really hard time,really really hard time, with
stuff at home going on and itwas coming on her behavior and
(29:47):
she was violent.
Hard time, you know, reallyreally hard time, with stuff at
home going on and you know, justcoming on her behavior and she
was violent and it was, and sheuh definitely changed around a
lot during that time and, um,she blossomed into a, you know,
teenager and a young adult whohad started her own non-profit
and was giving back to hercommunity.
(30:07):
She graduated high school, wasoffered a full right to college,
and so she was one of thoseexamples of someone that I
watched a transformation occur.
I've had other students likeJayanna.
She started her own businessmaking art and was selling at
our farmer's market events for awhile.
There.
(30:27):
We had Jonathan start his ownphotography company because of
some of the entrepreneurshipprogramming we brought into the
program at Garfield School, youknow.
So we've had a lot ofindividual successes and just in
general, what I learned from mystudents is that you never take
life too seriously.
You know I try not to, butsometimes you know, when you're
(30:49):
a leader, when you wear a lot ofhats, you know you sometimes
forget that and what I don'twant to do is lose my inner
child.
I think it's a really importantlesson for us all to remember.
Stop what you're doingsometimes.
Go play, whatever that playlooks like, whether it's going
dancing, getting out, goinghiking with your friends, being
(31:11):
goofy you know they rejuvenatethat.
They remind me of theimportance of hugs.
You know, like I'm a hugger,you know I mean, but sometimes
life will just get at you, butthey'll never let you forget,
you know.
So that just inner joy,something that's really
important.
And you know these kidssurprise me every day with their
level of innovation andexpertise.
(31:32):
I mean I learn from them allthe time.
And we're actually we'reexcited because we're going to
be actually having our studentsin different schools do social
media takeovers, so they'regoing to be creating the content
for our social media andpromoting the messages we're
sharing.
Diane Bickett (31:46):
They do it the best right they do.
Sara Continenza (31:48):
They're so fun One of our schools.
The students were sharing withus some of the beats they were
producing online and on theircomputers, and so we're going to
be bringing in our partner,refresh Collective, and they're
going to guide our studentsthrough creating original hip
hop music about fresh foods.
Diane Bickett (32:05):
Oh man, well, I was going to end with the tip
time, but I think you know thatwas a perfect tip, just in terms
of you know, remember how it isto be a kid and have fun and
not be too heavy.
Don't let life keep beating itout of you.
Yeah, and we're going to needthat going into 2025.
So I want to close out with aquick note to our listeners Our
(32:27):
podcasts are going into yearfour, so Greg isn't here today
to celebrate that with us.
He's wrapping up a lot of stuffat work.
But going into 2025, we willprobably be releasing on a less
organized schedule, but look forone, maybe two podcasts per
(32:51):
month.
Please follow us on Instagramand Facebook, egospeakcle, to
stay in touch with us and soyou're notified of when new
episodes come out.
And also follow me, dianeBeckett, on LinkedIn new
episodes come out, and alsofollow me, diane Beckett, on
(33:12):
LinkedIn, where I also put outsome content about episodes and
some of the folks that I'veinterviewed.
Sara Continenza (33:15):
So real quick.
I want to shout out DianeBeckett, because this is her act
of service and love.
In her retirement she's helpinguplift local organizations and
people that are working hard forour environment and our climate
and in our community.
So, Diane, you deserve a biground of applause because this
(33:39):
act of love is really important.
People like us really need thehelp to get the word out, and
you're doing that, so thank you.
Diane Bickett (33:45):
Thank you.
I really appreciate thatSometimes I'll need to listen to
that on occasion.
We all need that little supportto keep going.
Sara Continenza (33:54):
We need each other, that's for sure, and I'm
excited.
Diane Bickett (33:58):
I love doing this podcast because I'm meeting
great people like you.
It keeps me engaged in myretirement and gives me
something to do, and I'mgrateful to Greg for coming
along with me on this ride.
Greg Rotuno (34:10):
See you next time.
Diane Bickett (34:11):
Greg, yeah, we'll see you next time, so thank you
so much.
Sara Continenza (34:14):
Merry Christmas , happy holidays to everyone.
Whatever you're celebrating, wecelebrate you, and make sure to
do something kind for yourselfand don't be stressed out.
It's a very stressful time ofyear if you let it, but just
take that time you need foryourself and don't be stressed
out.
It's a very stressful time ofyear if you let it, but just
take that time you need foryourself.
Go breathe, Take a hike,whatever you need.
Yep, yep.
Diane Bickett (34:33):
And some last minute giving for the end of the
year, giving Donate to FoodStrong to help Sara with this
project.
Sara Continenza (34:41):
And when you're buying gifts shop, local
Exactly.
Thank you, thank you.
Greg Rotuno (34:48):
We hope you've enjoyed this episode of EcoSpeak
CLE.
You can find our full catalogof episodes on Spotify, apple
Podcasts or wherever you getyour podcasts.
New episodes are available thefirst and third Tuesday of each
month.
Please follow EcoSpeak CLE onFacebook and Instagram and
become part of the conversation.
Please follow EcoSpeak CLE onFacebook and Instagram and
become part of the conversation.
(35:09):
If you would like to send usfeedback and suggestions, or if
you'd like to become a sponsorof EcoSpeak CLE, you can email
us at hello at EcoSpeakCLEcom.
Stay tuned for more importantand inspiring stories to come.
You're listening to Together, we speak with local
sustainability leaders andinvite you to connect, learn,
and live with our community andplanet in mind.
EcoSpeak CLE, a podcast for theeco-curious in Northeast Ohio.
My name is Diane Bickett and myproducer is Greg Rotuno.
Thanks for joining us for ourlast podcast of 2024.
(00:25):
We are so grateful to you forlistening, for learning and for
all the ways you are caring forour planet, our community and
each other.
Let's carry that hope andcommitment into 2025 with our
guest today, Sara Continenza.
Sara is the founder andexecutive director of Food
Strong.
Food Strong was recently gifteda three-acre farm site on
(00:46):
Superior Avenue at East 67thStreet, and Sara, along with her
community partners, areembarking on a five-year capital
project to transform theproperty into a community hub
that will feed bodies, minds andsouls.
Join us as we speak with Saraabout the project and how she
works to connect kids with food,to educate, empower and
cultivate health throughoutNortheast Ohio.
(01:08):
Welcome, Sara.
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm glad we could finally gettogether.
We have met a couple times overthe last couple weeks.
It has been a pleasure to getto know you better.
As we did that, I picked up afew what I'm calling Sara, which
I will just read here.
Store-bought tomatoes tastelike disappointment.
(01:29):
That's one of my favorite ones.
If you can't pronounce it,don't eat it.
And food is everywhere.
I really love all three ofthose.
How do all those Sara play intoyour mission?
Sara Continenza (01:41):
You know, with our various programs we are
constantly talking about howfood nourishes the body or can
potentially poison the body,depending on what choices you're
making.
And unfortunately, in a lot ofthe communities we serve, you
know the choices people make arethe choices that they have
available to them and so youknow people can't help if they
(02:04):
don't have a grocery storenearby.
They can't help if they lack alot of options and education
around how to utilize healthyoptions.
You know there's not a ton ofthat available right now and so
we do very, we work very hard toengage our students in various
schools with our schoolprogramming.
(02:25):
It's a holistic school garden,culinary arts, nutrition and
entrepreneurship program that wecall our Food Sovereignty
School program.
And if you don't know what foodsovereignty means, it's really
just all around the principle ofengaging the food consumers in
every element of the process, of, you know, farm to plate.
(02:48):
You know there's a lot morethan just going to the grocery
store or the food pantry gettingthe food.
Someone had to grow that food,someone had to, you know,
produce that food, package thefood.
Someone had to sell the food,ship the food, take pictures of
the food.
There's so many differentelements of that process and
people are very passive rightnow.
(03:09):
They're passive consumers andthey don't really know what
they're putting in their bodies,they don't know where it's
coming from, they don't knowwhat was done to the food, what
was sprayed on the food, and sowe're reconnecting our students
and the communities we servewith all those processes.
That's food sovereignty, right.
It's teaching the man to fishinstead of giving the man the
fish, right.
Both are important because youneed to get through every day,
(03:31):
and an empty belly won't helpyou get through a day.
Very well.
But once you've gotten throughthat day and your belly's full,
what can we do to keep younourished for life, so that you
know you have the knowledge tobe able to access foods in a
variety of ways?
As you said, food is everywhereand some people don't realize
(03:51):
that literally in your ownbackyard or in the woods there
are a ton of different nativeedible plants or even non-native
, but foods that are growing andthat are very nourishing.
So we work with our scholars,we guide our scholars in the
schools we're in about 13schools right now, mostly in
Cleveland Public Schools, okayand we work very closely with
(04:14):
the district, specifically thescience and nutrition
departments.
We're very ingrained with thenutrition department, to the
point where we actually get afresh fruit and veggie bar at
every school, that we have ourprogram, which is amazing, wow,
um, shout out to bob gorman, uh,becky and everyone at the
department doing wonderful work,um.
And so we're a gratefuldepartment with them, and so we
(04:34):
guide our students through theprocess of, you know, building
these on-site school gardens.
We have food, native perennialplants, herbs, and then we also
talk about the nutritionEverything we grow.
Right, we're not going to say,hey, eat this tomato, but we'll
talk about why that tomato isred.
What is that?
That's lycopene.
What is lycopene good for?
(04:55):
Let's talk about that.
It's good for your immunesystem, your heart health, all
those different things.
And we dive deep so that ourstudents can really understand
the why.
It's not just a lecture, butthey're getting, you know, a
full, well-rounded educationaround that.
Diane Bickett (05:14):
So you're in 13 schools within the Cleveland
Municipal School District, tenin the CMSD, and then we're in a
couple other districts.
Sara Continenza (05:18):
We have a school in East Cleveland, and
then we have our learning gardenin East Cleveland as well, at
the Coit Road Farmers Market,and then we also have our school
that we do in partnership withthe Impact Program and Shaker
Middle School.
Diane Bickett (05:35):
Wow, that's amazing.
So when did you start doingthis?
Sara Continenza (05:39):
I started working with the district and
community partners to build outa school garden toolkit back in
2016.
And then, in 17, I launched,piloted the program in a couple
of CMSD schools Artemis Ward,and then Iowa Maple Elementary,
which ended up closing a coupleof weeks after the pandemic
lockdowns.
So those kids could only saygoodbye to each other, waving in
(06:01):
a little car train parade, andso I knew how traumatized they
must have already been.
So we hadn't finished ourprogram yet and we were working
on a CAC funded mural at thetime.
So I ended up getting some landFood Strong to to use at the
Coit Road farmers market wherewe'd already been doing our
caravan health and wellnesscommunity program, and so they
(06:23):
gave us some land and we workedwith our students from Iowa
Maple and others to build thatgarden out, started with about
four little garden beds, and ithas expanded to a full-on urban
farm that has a farm manager,jeff, now that takes care of it,
and we've been growing eversince, and that was a really
cool opportunity to, you know,respond to that situation and be
(06:44):
able to convene our people in asafe environment.
So that was really cool.
Diane Bickett (06:48):
So the kids are coming to the farm, or, yeah, we
host field trips there,workshops, learning experiences,
events.
Sara Continenza (06:56):
We also use the food that we grow to sell at
the Coit Market and then we havea mobile farm stand that we'll
take out to other markets andother community settings,
specifically ones of low access,and we're looking to continue
to expand our model to sellother types of foods and local
products to support other localbusinesses and provide further
(07:16):
access to people.
And we accept all the differentincentive programs like SNAP
and produce perks, seniorcoupons, et cetera, etc.
And we work with some of ourstudents to help run that as
well, to give them workforcedevelopment and entrepreneurship
experience.
So that's been wonderful, youknow.
So it's been a journey, right,you know the world will often
(07:39):
shape and shift how you operate,and you know we shape and shift
with the world.
Yeah, and we want to make sure,at the end of the day, that
we're doing whatever we can toprepare our communities for
whatever's next, because we'renot sure, right, we don't know
what could happen.
But if you have a goodrelationship with the land, you
know how to cultivate the land,you know how to identify edible
(08:02):
plants and do just simple thingslike that that we've completely
lost connection with over thelast couple of generations.
If we can do that, then we'regoing to be a lot better off.
You know, scarcity is a myth ifyou know how to look at it, and
so we're trying to perpetuatethat knowledge and empower our
youth, specifically to take thatand become innovators, because
(08:25):
they are extremely creative andinnovative.
You know we have had studentsstart their own businesses,
food-based businesses and others.
Jeffrey has been creating forseveral years now his baked
goods that are free of the nineallergens and his company called
Far From the ER.
Jeffrey's one of your students.
He had been, yeah, but we nowjust mentor him on the side and
(08:48):
he's been, you know, blossoming,and we're really proud of him,
and that's just one example.
And so you know we lovecultivating those kinds of
things.
Diane Bickett (08:55):
What age group do you typically like to work with
in this program?
Sara Continenza (09:00):
We're K through 12.
Oh really, yeah.
So our sweet spot has beenupper elementary school, some
middle, but we have a couple ofhigh schools and lower
elementary as well.
Diane Bickett (09:08):
Okay, what's your impact?
Sara Continenza (09:09):
been so far?
Well, we do notice through oursurveys that there is definitely
a positive change in socialemotional learning, specifically
team building, self-confidence,and we also see improvements in
people's knowledge andattitudes toward you know eating
, healthy, gardening, cooking,and you know a lot of the
(09:32):
concepts we talk about.
So we, you know that's just thequantitative, but you know
qualitatively, we've seen a tonof different examples of people
you know improving theirlifestyles, improving their
attendance at school, theirgrades getting better, and
teachers have had a lot of greatstories about how that's
(09:53):
improved their classroomsoverall too.
Diane Bickett (09:55):
And they're taking that knowledge home to
their families.
I love that you're bringing thefresh food into the schools.
It can't be easy working withthe Cleveland Municipal School
District.
How did you?
How was your first entry withthem?
Sara Continenza (10:08):
I started by working with Kirsten and Terry
at the science department, andthey're the ones that helped us
build out the toolkit Wow, andthey gave me a lot of guidance
on how to pull suggestions onhow to teach to the test through
the lens of gardening, which Ihad not thought about so deeply,
but that's how you're going toget a school to adopt this
(10:28):
successfully because there'ssuch an emphasis.
Diane Bickett (10:29):
Yeah, you have to meet those learning standards,
All that yeah, okay.
Sara Continenza (10:32):
So that's kind of how we started, but it's
actually been a real pleasureworking with CMSD.
Good Is it a challengesometimes, of course you know
any bigger institutional settingcan be.
There's the bureaucracyinvolved and things like that,
but they have been an absolutelyphenomenal partner and we've
even gone in on some grantstogether, like the United Way a
(10:56):
Greater Cleveland grant that wegot that.
They have supported ourcapacity building and our school
programming.
We've gotten Rite Aid HealthyFutures Foundation dollars to
help support our work in theCleveland schools.
So it's been a really wonderfulrelationship.
That has helped us as anorganization too, and it helped
us.
We recently hired a secondeducator because of the support,
even during a time of economicdistress, which has been really
(11:17):
great because there have beenbudget cuts in the district.
It has put a lot of pressure onprograms like ours, but we've
been able to continue and expanddue to that support, which is
awesome.
How many?
Diane Bickett (11:27):
staff do you have so far?
Sara Continenza (11:30):
Four full-time staff members, including myself,
and then we have about fivepart-time folks, some you know,
are you know?
Diane Bickett (11:39):
some of the educators and grant writers, and
then Jeff Baylor, who is yourfarm manager, formerly with
Ladistry Farms.
Sara Continenza (11:47):
Yeah, and we have our marketing person,
heather, and, yeah, we have anawesome crew.
We have a great crew.
We also partner with AmeriCorps, so we have a mod through
AmeriCorps which has been very,very helpful over the years and
tons of volunteers and communitypartners.
Diane Bickett (12:00):
I'm assuming.
Sara Continenza (12:00):
Over a thousand this year alone.
Wow.
Diane Bickett (12:02):
Volunte Wow, awesome.
So what is it in yourbackground that helped you
develop the skills necessary torun this incredible organization
?
Sara Continenza (12:14):
Well, I think a lot of my grit comes from Peace
Corps.
You know, living in a mud hutin the middle of nowhere trying
to implement programming.
And I would say you know justmy travels over the world.
Um, you know, I lived in japan.
I've lived in europe, in france, I've, you know, I've had a ton
(12:35):
of experiences in a variety ofcultures I've experienced what
it's like to be the minority.
I've experienced hunger likeI've been around, you know, raw
hunger.
I've seen, you know extremehigh quality of life in a place
like Japan and I've seen all ofit and it really has given me a
lot of perspective and I cameback with all that knowledge.
(12:56):
And then, you know, working atthe Hunger Network really gave
me a lot of experience in thenonprofit sector.
I, when I start, went off on myown.
I was writing grants andworking with groups like Refresh
Collective, which gave me a lotof wonderful experience.
Getting my master's in publicadministration at CSU was a
phenomenal tool for me to bothnetwork and gain important
(13:20):
knowledge on this.
So I think just all myexperiences have played into it
in a lot of ways.
Diane Bickett (13:24):
Wow, I'm really impressed.
You're also a member of theSouth Euclid City Council.
You've been with, you've beenon council since when 2018.
Wow, since 2018.
So government experience you'vejust nonprofit experience,
leadership all that Plus.
You're a forager.
Sara Continenza (13:42):
Right leadership all that Plus you're
a forager right, I love to tastewhat nature has to offer.
Diane Bickett (13:54):
I love that.
So let's talk about your bigproject and how our listeners
can help you with that.
Superior Farm is the name ofthe three acre farm that was
gifted to you, and I was able togo visit you at the farm.
It was a very cold day, but wegot a quick tour.
I noticed that there's a lot ofopportunity there.
Tell us the background of howyou were gifted the farm.
(14:17):
What's there now, what it lookslike today and what, what your
vision is for, what it will looklike in, say, five years
Awesome.
Sara Continenza (14:23):
Well, thanks for bringing that up.
It's a massive endeavor rightday.
And what?
What your vision is for, whatit will look like in, say, five
years?
Awesome, well, thanks forbringing that up.
It's a massive endeavor rightnow.
Um, I went to that site severaltimes the most you know over
the years when it was communitygreenhouse partners under the
leadership of tim smith, whoI've known since the 90s really
from you know hanging out oncoventry and you know the whole
cle Heights scene, and I wentthere back in 2017, and I just
(14:47):
remember getting a tour andbeing amazed at the
possibilities, taking a pictureof the inside of the sanctuary
of the church, and it's still onmy Instagram to this day that
picture so background there is achurch, a huge church, on the
property that was formerly uh,the saint george's lithuanian
catholic church.
Okay, a huge building, that'swhat it was built to be in the
(15:08):
20s.
Um, yeah, and so we went there.
I took a picture and I'm likeimagine the possibilities.
Yeah, and this was before foodstrong was even a concept.
So fast forward, um you knowfunny how life comes back around
and I've been talking aboutwanting land and doing some
place making in a communitysetting, in a good part of town,
that we could have an impactand really build out our place
(15:29):
and build out our headquartersand also work with the community
to envision what the spacecould be in terms of food
sovereignty and just holisticwraparound care.
And so it was, you know, broughtto my attention by the board
president, John, who was I hadmet at one of my community
(15:51):
gatherings that they had aproposal out, a request for
proposals to differentorganizations to see who would
want to acquire that property,which includes that church, a
farmhouse that has about 4,500square feet, 10 bedrooms, and
it's a beautiful old Italianarchitectural style farmhouse.
(16:12):
And then that was the originalstructure on the property.
It predates historical recordkeeping.
There's no records of it.
It's pretty cool.
And then it's on virginfarmland and there's a food
forest planted on the front yardon Superior there now, which
Community Greenhouse Partnershave done, and there's a
(16:33):
five-car garage and a wholebunch of land.
It's almost three acres.
So we're gathering ourcommunity partners, stakeholders
and everyone to startenvisioning what this is going
to look.
Greater Cleveland Constructionhas donated their time to help
us kind of get started on thisprocess and we're phasing it out
.
So we're starting with gettingthe house in order, at least the
interior and the structuralstuff, so that we can move our
(16:55):
headquarters into the house andthe upstairs will either be
housing or office spaces.
We're waiting to determine thatbased on a variety of factors,
but then we'll be able to movein and then continue working off
the space and clearing the land, beautifying landscaping,
planning out our farm, workingwith the community, engaging
(17:16):
with the neighbors andstakeholders to really come up
with a cohesive, collaborativeplan and eventually it's looking
to maybe three years down theline is when we'll really get
super into the remodeling andremediation of the church, which
is definitely over 20,000square feet.
It has two massive gatheringspaces, eight classrooms and
(17:41):
requires definitely millions ofdollars in work, but it would be
definitely worth repairing andrestoring because it is gorgeous
in there and you know it'sgoing to be a really awesome
opportunity to have a beautifulspace in the community for
gathering, for learning, for,you know, convening.
It's going to be wonderful andwe're really excited about it,
(18:01):
but it definitely is a hugeproject.
So we love our volunteers.
Like I said, we've had a ton ofvolunteers, uh, so far we
couldn't do what we do withoutthem and we are so appreciative
of the groups that have come out, corporate groups, student
groups and, um, we are going tobe, uh, continuing to gather
these groups, differentvolunteer groups, at the farm
(18:24):
year round, every other thursday, 5 to 7 pm after work hours so
people can make it and, uh, it'seven now, so, even though it's
dark, people can.
We're doing a lot of clearingout in the church and just
getting things ready.
Um, and then the other reallyimportant thing that we need
right now is obviously somefunds.
So you know, we have our donatenow button on foodstronorg,
(18:46):
which has a whole landing pageabout the farm and everything
we're up to and the, thestrategic planning and process
and everything.
So you know we are acceptingdonations as well.
And there will be, through thecapital campaign that has been
launched by bone and feather LLC, our you know different naming
rights and sponsorshipopportunities as we progress how
big is your capital campaign?
Diane Bickett (19:07):
how are you trying to raise to achieve the
vision over the five years Phase?
Sara Continenza (19:13):
one.
We're aiming for another$400,000.
Okay, that'll get us in thehouse.
It'll do all the improvementswe need on the house, at least
unless anything comes up, whichwe know things happen all the
time.
But being able to get theelectric in order, the you know,
all the major repairs, thecosmetic stuff, you know that
would be about 400.
(19:33):
That's for phase one.
We want to get in the house andthen we will be phasing it out.
The church will be more of alikely five million dollar
campaign.
From what we've gathered fromthe quotes we've gotten.
That will be down the road.
Our goal first is to get intothe house so we can start
operating out of it and continueour placemaking.
Okay, and we're really excitedbecause we have a continued
(19:53):
partnership with Cuyahoga County.
We have been implementing overthe last several years of vacant
lot restoration initiative inpartnership with Riddle Green
Partnership and the CuyahogaCounty Land Bank, and so we are
looking forward to theopportunity to continue to work
with groups all around northeastohio in acquiring and restoring
their lots in their communitiesthrough sustainable ag and
(20:13):
navigating the you know,sometimes very challenging
bureaucratic systems that are inplace that hold that hold the
keys to these different leasesand ownership opportunities for
the lots.
So what we're envisioning atthis space is that we can bring
people to us and get themtrained and experienced in
farming and learning more abouthow to navigate some of these
(20:35):
public sector situations so thatthey can more likely acquire
the lots and either a lease orownership based on their needs.
I know that the city's workingon building out a community land
trust so we could help peopletry to navigate that system as
well, if that makes sense.
So there's a ton ofopportunities for collaboration
there, and so we're imagininglike a really intensive kind of
(20:59):
workforce development space.
Diane Bickett (21:01):
That's really important, because how many
vacant lots are there inCleveland approximately?
Sara Continenza (21:07):
I've heard like Well the land bank has about
17,000, but there are, I believe, over 30,000 vacant lots in the
city of Cleveland.
Diane Bickett (21:15):
Yeah, and the public forum is often talking
about the potential of theselots, but no one is really
talking about how to acquirethem, how to improve them and
that sort of thing.
Sara Continenza (21:28):
So that's something that you'll be working
on and there are some reallygood projects happening underway
that are working toward that,like Cleveland and some other
groups through the WesternReserve, land Conservancy,
through the city, through thecounty there's various groups
doing wonderful work on that forsure, and so we're definitely
not reinventing any wheels.
It's more like just making surethat everyone is aware of all
(21:50):
the great work being done andknowing how to participate in
that work whenever necessary.
We definitely, you know, knowour place in this, which is food
, and we want to just make surethat we are able to connect as
necessary.
Diane Bickett (22:07):
Okay, I understand.
So, in addition to donatingmoney, because I think you'll be
going to big corporate donors,so for any big corporate donor
listeners out there that want toget behind a good project, I
mean I'll- tell you $5,.
Sara Continenza (22:20):
$10 is also very helpful.
Diane Bickett (22:23):
Absolutely Just like a political campaign, right
, but you're also looking for,like skills-based volunteers.
How can those people that youknow, how can we contribute our
time?
What needs do you have?
Carpenters, electricians.
Sara Continenza (22:37):
Yeah, so as we move on this project, you know
if there are any licensedinsured you know type of you
know, supporters.
Greg Rotuno (22:45):
You know type of.
You know supporters you?
Sara Continenza (22:46):
know that are willing to kind of support us in
you know the various elementsof the restoration process.
We'd be really grateful.
But you know, in general to ourorganization, you can always
use support with things likegrant writing, marketing.
(23:07):
You know IT support, you knowthere's.
We are working right now toenhance our capacity, but
there's a lot of things thatI've continued to realize I need
support with.
You know we're a small, growingteam, a small growing
organization, and skills-basedvolunteers are super vital.
We've been working very closelywith BVU over the years.
They've helped send us amazingsupporters like Bone and Feather
LLC, kevin Ament he wasconnected to us through BVU,
(23:30):
amongst other amazing boardmembers like Sam Weir, who's our
secretary he's at Thompson Highand LLP.
So we've had a wonderfulsupport network so far and I
think what we could continue touse help with is those definite
other areas administratively,along with what the farm needs,
because it all plays together.
(23:51):
We need to be able to make surethat we aren't leaving one side
, uh, kind of to the waysidewhile we focus heavily on the
other.
Diane Bickett (23:58):
So it's going to be a holistic approach okay and
um, I just lost what I was goingto say so, your Thursday
volunteering.
How does that work?
What do you call it?
Volunteer Thursdays?
Yeah, volunteer, I want tocircle back to that Sure From 5
(24:20):
to 7, people just show up.
Sara Continenza (24:21):
People can show up.
We do have sign-up registrationonline on foodstrongorg Just
click on Farm or Programs.
And we are right now in theoff-season.
We're doing stuff indoorsmostly and we have been clearing
out every classroom in thechurch, so those have been used
(24:42):
for storage and there are just alot of stuff that needs to go
in the dumpster.
You know a lot of organizing,just kind of figuring out what
could be consolidated so that wecan clear out some of the
classrooms, make room for someof the other stuff that might be
coming in or some of the otheractivities that might be, you
know, happening.
So that's a big thing that'sgoing on right now.
(25:04):
We've already filled up almostfour dumpsters since we've been
there.
Um, I hate trash, I hatefilling up landfills.
But we've, we are you got toclear it out.
We participate in the circulareconomy whenever possible.
So we, anything that's usable,we keep in the church.
That's why we have it beingreorganized.
But yeah, that um cutting upand disposing while the old
(25:24):
carpets everywhere and you know,just kind of making sure that
when we are ready to take nextsteps, we are ready for that.
Diane Bickett (25:32):
Okay, and you have an online newsletter people
can sign up for.
Sara Continenza (25:37):
Yeah, when you go to foodstronorg it pops up
Subscribe now.
Just plug in your email, Okay.
Diane Bickett (25:42):
Talk about the neighborhood and what it looks
like around the farm, and youhad mentioned, when we were
walking the farm, that theCleveland Foundation has a big
project nearby, so this wholeneighborhood, the St Clair
Superior neighborhood, borderson the Huff neighborhood.
There's a lot of other stuff.
You talk about the circulareconomy, too.
(26:03):
Going on like the RebuildersExchange and Upcycle Part Shop
is close by, so you'll be aintegral part of this community.
Going back to the ClevelandFoundation, though, can you
explain what?
There is a housing project orsomething you're talking about?
Sara Continenza (26:19):
well, the Cleveland Foundation is located
in other new headquarters andsoon to be collaboration space
at Euclid and 66th Street, so acouple of streets over.
Yeah, it's like about, I wouldsay, a mile down.
But this East 66th Streetcorridor, as they're calling it,
is something that they'reworking on very heavily and so
(26:39):
they're very focused on thatHuff and soon-to-be St Clair
Superior neighborhood.
And so when you're going down66 and you end up at Superior,
you're facing our space, okay.
So we're just kind of like thecaboose of the corridor or the
icing on the cake.
Exactly.
I love that.
(26:59):
So, yeah, we're going to beworking with them to ensure that
we are working together oncommunity engagement and just
making sure that we're verystrategic in how we approach all
this, because the last thing Iwant to do is do something for a
community or in a communityright, the preposition I choose
is with the community, so that'ssuper important.
(27:20):
And then the neighborhood aroundour church.
Actually, you know people takea lot of care for their homes,
like when you walk the streetsaround our church.
Actually, you know people takea lot of care for their homes,
like when you walk the streetsaround the church.
A lot of those homes are inreally good shape.
People take a lot of pride tocare for them.
There's a church right acrossthe street from us.
The Hells Angels are nearby,you know.
We've got a lot of prettyawesome neighbors and our site
(27:45):
has left a lot to be desiredover the years.
So that's why we've been reallyworking on we've we painted the
front of the church to methrough michael wall.
She donated some of theservices to paint the front of
the church and we have, you know, through our volunteers from
mckinsey and co.
They actually, you know,removed most of the sod that was
covering all the sidewalks andnow people can walk safely.
And we removed most of the sodthat was covering all the
(28:06):
sidewalks and now people canwalk safely.
And we've been clearing off theproperty of all the debris and
old wood and fallen trees andthings like that Bricks
everywhere.
So it's already looking a lotbetter from just a couple months
we've been able to put in and Ijust want to make sure that we
are part of that community thattakes pride in its surroundings.
(28:28):
Yeah, the community deservesthat it doesn't deserve to have
another crumbling building.
Diane Bickett (28:32):
Well said, and you're working with the
neighbors to get their input onthe vision for the?
Sara Continenza (28:37):
property too.
Exactly, and we're reallyexcited because not only is this
going to be a food sovereigntyspace, but climate resilience
hub sovereignty space, butclimate resilience hub.
I want to make sure that thisis a safe space for people to be
able to access for in times ofneed, right If maybe the grid
goes down or other issues.
We're very much focused onrenewable energy and how we can
(29:00):
incorporate that into the spaceso that we don't have issues
should something like that occurand people can turn to us if
they need us.
Diane Bickett (29:09):
Wow, I love the vision.
You want to talk a little bitabout your experience working
with kids.
I mean, you give a lot to thekids, but you're learning a lot
from them too.
Can you give us some examplesof some of the stars you've
worked with that inspire youevery day to keep going?
Sara Continenza (29:27):
I mean there's so many to even consider.
I've had kids really transformover the years.
One of my first class I evertaught I had a young lady who
was having a really hard time,really really hard time, with
stuff at home going on and itwas coming on her behavior and
(29:47):
she was violent.
Hard time, you know, reallyreally hard time, with stuff at
home going on and you know, justcoming on her behavior and she
was violent and it was, and sheuh definitely changed around a
lot during that time and, um,she blossomed into a, you know,
teenager and a young adult whohad started her own non-profit
and was giving back to hercommunity.
(30:07):
She graduated high school, wasoffered a full right to college,
and so she was one of thoseexamples of someone that I
watched a transformation occur.
I've had other students likeJayanna.
She started her own businessmaking art and was selling at
our farmer's market events for awhile.
There.
(30:27):
We had Jonathan start his ownphotography company because of
some of the entrepreneurshipprogramming we brought into the
program at Garfield School, youknow.
So we've had a lot ofindividual successes and just in
general, what I learned from mystudents is that you never take
life too seriously.
You know I try not to, butsometimes you know, when you're
(30:49):
a leader, when you wear a lot ofhats, you know you sometimes
forget that and what I don'twant to do is lose my inner
child.
I think it's a really importantlesson for us all to remember.
Stop what you're doingsometimes.
Go play, whatever that playlooks like, whether it's going
dancing, getting out, goinghiking with your friends, being
(31:11):
goofy you know they rejuvenatethat.
They remind me of theimportance of hugs.
You know, like I'm a hugger,you know I mean, but sometimes
life will just get at you, butthey'll never let you forget,
you know.
So that just inner joy,something that's really
important.
And you know these kidssurprise me every day with their
level of innovation andexpertise.
(31:32):
I mean I learn from them allthe time.
And we're actually we'reexcited because we're going to
be actually having our studentsin different schools do social
media takeovers, so they'regoing to be creating the content
for our social media andpromoting the messages we're
sharing.
Diane Bickett (31:46):
They do it the best right they do.
Sara Continenza (31:48):
They're so fun One of our schools.
The students were sharing withus some of the beats they were
producing online and on theircomputers, and so we're going to
be bringing in our partner,refresh Collective, and they're
going to guide our studentsthrough creating original hip
hop music about fresh foods.
Diane Bickett (32:05):
Oh man, well, I was going to end with the tip
time, but I think you know thatwas a perfect tip, just in terms
of you know, remember how it isto be a kid and have fun and
not be too heavy.
Don't let life keep beating itout of you.
Yeah, and we're going to needthat going into 2025.
So I want to close out with aquick note to our listeners Our
(32:27):
podcasts are going into yearfour, so Greg isn't here today
to celebrate that with us.
He's wrapping up a lot of stuffat work.
But going into 2025, we willprobably be releasing on a less
organized schedule, but look forone, maybe two podcasts per
(32:51):
month.
Please follow us on Instagramand Facebook, egospeakcle, to
stay in touch with us and soyou're notified of when new
episodes come out.
And also follow me, dianeBeckett, on LinkedIn new
episodes come out, and alsofollow me, diane Beckett, on
(33:12):
LinkedIn, where I also put outsome content about episodes and
some of the folks that I'veinterviewed.
Sara Continenza (33:15):
So real quick.
I want to shout out DianeBeckett, because this is her act
of service and love.
In her retirement she's helpinguplift local organizations and
people that are working hard forour environment and our climate
and in our community.
So, Diane, you deserve a biground of applause because this
(33:39):
act of love is really important.
People like us really need thehelp to get the word out, and
you're doing that, so thank you.
Diane Bickett (33:45):
Thank you.
I really appreciate thatSometimes I'll need to listen to
that on occasion.
We all need that little supportto keep going.
Sara Continenza (33:54):
We need each other, that's for sure, and I'm
excited.
Diane Bickett (33:58):
I love doing this podcast because I'm meeting
great people like you.
It keeps me engaged in myretirement and gives me
something to do, and I'mgrateful to Greg for coming
along with me on this ride.
Greg Rotuno (34:10):
See you next time.
Diane Bickett (34:11):
Greg, yeah, we'll see you next time, so thank you
so much.
Sara Continenza (34:14):
Merry Christmas , happy holidays to everyone.
Whatever you're celebrating, wecelebrate you, and make sure to
do something kind for yourselfand don't be stressed out.
It's a very stressful time ofyear if you let it, but just
take that time you need foryourself and don't be stressed
out.
It's a very stressful time ofyear if you let it, but just
take that time you need foryourself.
Go breathe, Take a hike,whatever you need.
Yep, yep.
Diane Bickett (34:33):
And some last minute giving for the end of the
year, giving Donate to FoodStrong to help Sara with this
project.
Sara Continenza (34:41):
And when you're buying gifts shop, local
Exactly.
Thank you, thank you.
Greg Rotuno (34:48):
We hope you've enjoyed this episode of EcoSpeak
CLE.
You can find our full catalogof episodes on Spotify, apple
Podcasts or wherever you getyour podcasts.
New episodes are available thefirst and third Tuesday of each
month.
Please follow EcoSpeak CLE onFacebook and Instagram and
become part of the conversation.
Please follow EcoSpeak CLE onFacebook and Instagram and
become part of the conversation.
(35:09):
If you would like to send usfeedback and suggestions, or if
you'd like to become a sponsorof EcoSpeak CLE, you can email
us at hello at EcoSpeakCLEcom.
Stay tuned for more importantand inspiring stories to come.
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