San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition October 2025 E-Newsletter
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In this issue:
Cook Matters| Keeping Cooking Alive
Rio Grande Farm Park| Green House Produce!
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En esta edición:
Cooking Matters| Manteniendo Cookin Matters
Rio Grande Farm Park |Productos de Invernadero :
Burbujas, Guardianes, Acceso a la Tierra, y Compost,
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Cooking Matters Faces Federal Cuts, But We’re Not Giving Up
The “big beautiful bill” has hit home. Because of it, national SNAP-Ed funding ended on September 30, 2025, cutting off support for programs like Cooking Matters, one of our longest-running and most impactful efforts.
For more than a decade, Cooking Matters has helped over 10,000 families across the San Luis Valley gain the skills and confidence to cook healthy meals on a budget. From farmers markets to schools, hospitals, and farmworker housing, classes in English and Spanish have reached every corner of our Valley.
We're deeply proud of our Cooking Matters team---Zoila Gomez and Lois Harvie---and grateful to our past coordinators, partners, community hosts and statewide allies like Share Our Strength and Nourish Colorado, whose collaboration has made this work possible.
Even though federal funding is gone, yours and our commitment to nutrition education isn’t going anywhere. Starting in January, Cooking Matters will continue on a fee-for-service basis, with scholarships available to keep classes accessible for all families.
Help keep Cooking Matters alive and thriving.
👉 Support the future of Cooking Matters
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Cooking Matters enfrenta recortes federales, pero no nos rendimos
La “gran y hermosa ley” ya nos afectó directamente. A causa de ella, la financiación nacional de SNAP-Ed terminó el 30 de septiembre de 2025, cortando el apoyo a programas como Cooking Matters, uno de nuestros esfuerzos más duraderos e impactantes.
Durante más de una década, Cooking Matters ha ayudado a más de 10,000 familias en todo el Valle de San Luis a adquirir las habilidades y la confianza para cocinar comidas saludables con un presupuesto limitado. Desde los mercados de agricultores hasta las escuelas, hospitales y viviendas de trabajadores agrícolas, las clases en inglés y español han llegado a cada rincón de nuestro Valle.
Estamos profundamente orgullosos de nuestro equipo de Cooking Matters: Zoila Gómez, Lois Harvie, Marlena Martínez y Claudia Ebel, y agradecidos por nuestros socios, anfitriones comunitarios y aliados estatales como Share Our Strength y Nourish Colorado, cuya colaboración ha hecho posible este trabajo.
Aunque la financiación federal haya desaparecido, nuestro y su compromiso con la educación en nutrición sigue firme. A partir de enero, Cooking Matters continuará bajo un modelo de servicio con tarifa, con becas disponibles para mantener las clases accesibles para todas las familias.
“Puede que se vea un poco diferente”, dice el Director Ejecutivo Max Gibson, “pero seguimos comprometidos a mantenerlo disponible y accesible para las familias en todo el Valle.”
Ayúdenos a mantener Cooking Matters vivo y fuerte.
👉 Apoye el futuro de Cooking Matters
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Green House Produce!
We are now selling produce grown in our Greenhouse to the public! The Greenhouse at the Rio Grande Farm Park will be open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM.
Produce will be available depending on what is harvestable at that time.
Please contact Kris at 719-588-2287 with any questions.
¡Productos del Invernadero!
¡Ahora estamos vendiendo al público los productos cultivados en nuestro invernadero!
El invernadero del Parque Agrícola Río Grande estará abierto los martes y viernes de 8:00 a 10:00 a. m.
La disponibilidad de productos dependerá de lo que se pueda cosechar en ese momento.
Para cualquier pregunta, comuníquese con Kris al 719-588-2287.
We are excited to bring Fifth Day back to the Farm Park for the final weeks of the school year! This past Friday we welcomed a group of ten curious and creative K-2 students from the Boys and Girls Club to float into the science of bubbles.
We read parts of the book "Bubble Homes and Fish Farts" from the Alamosa Public Library to discover the many ways animals use bubbles in nature. We learned that sea otters trap bubbles in their fur to stay warm, star-nosed moles use bubbles to sniff underwater, herring communicate with bubble bursts, and African gray treefrogs make bubbly nests for their eggs!
After our bubble deep dive, the real fun began. Students tested out some store-brought bubble wands before engineering their own with popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, paper towel tubes, and lots of imagination. Check out the photos for a peek into our bubbly Friday adventure.
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Community Bulletin Board/Tablón Comunitario
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The Sangre de Cristo Acequia Association Is Looking For A Part-Time Program Manager
The Sangre de Cristo Acequia Association (SdCAA) and Colorado Association of Conservation District (CACD) are seeking a temporary part-time program manager to implement a new grant focused on implementing soil health practices and community education. The program manager will oversee the rollout and implementation of these new programs. These programs include working with producers to implement cover crops and grazing practices; and creating educational farmer-to-farmer education for the local community including farm tours and demonstration areas.
View the job description and learn more at www.coloradoacequias.org
HOW TO APPLY
Send a cover letter, resume and two references to the SdCAA board of directors at sangredecristoacequia@gmail.com
This position is open until filled.
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