Marin City Community Action Team
The MarinHEAL Community Action Teams (CATs) lead garden projects in The Canal, Marin City, and West Marin to foster the development of community selected equitable food system priorities. Learn about the work led by the Marin City CAT below.
2024-2026
Boosting Local Food Production
Over the next year, Marin County Cooperation Team(MCCT) will continue as the MarinHEAL Marin City Co-lead, working to increase local food production efforts at the MLK. Jr. Academy Philips campus. The Marin City Community Services District will also work in partnership with MarinHEAL to expand production efforts at the Intergenerational Garden.
of food have been grown in Marin City!
2023-2024
Marin City Garden Rennovation
From May 2023 to May 2024, MCTT partnered with the Marin City Community Services District (CSD), Rise Up! 94965 Foundation, and The Sausalito Marin City School District, to form a local garden collective and boost local food production in Marin City. Funding provided by MarinHEAL supported with the rennovation of the gardens.
Click on the links below to learn the story of each of these food-growing sites!
2022-2023
Community Engagement
From May 2022-February 2023, MCCT held regular meetings with Marin City stakeholders and thought leaders, including members of MCCT’s staff who are lifelong Marin City residents, First Missionary Baptist Church, St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, Sausalito Marin City School District, Marin City Community Development Corporation, and Marin City Community Services District. Through these meetings, the Marin City CAT agreed to the 3 food system priorities outlined below to bring forward to Marin City residents for input.
Priorities for a Comprehensive Community Food System
- Community Gardens – revitalizing existing gardens and creating a community garden collective, including workforce training.
- Supporting Home Cooks and other food retailers in selling food for profit such as access to commercial kitchens, storage space, and workforce training.
- Obtaining and training Youth Health Educators to promote health, wealth, and economic entrepreneurship development.
2021-2022
Stakeholder Interviews and Themes
Over the course of four months, MarinHEAL Collaborative leadership interviewed 24 identified community stakeholders in the Canal District, Marin City, and West Marin. The same questions were asked of each participant and sought to identify what a community food system and community empowerment could look like in each community. Of the 24 interviews conducted, 6 of the stakeholders were representatives of Marin City.
Defining an Equitable Food System
The reccomendations listed below served as a starting point to be further refined through a broader engagement process co-led by each Community Action Team (CAT).
Draft Reccomendations
- Develop workforce trainings for co-operative ownership and social enterprises
- Support home cooks in selling food for profit
- Expand community gardening through securing land ownership
- Youth Health Educators to promote health, wealth and economic entrepreneurship development
Marin City Interviews
Interview themes prompted further discussion and inquiries about root causes and strategies for change that were planned, implemented, and evaluated by the Community Action Teams (CAT’s).
Interview Themes
- Unemployment, accessibility, and affordability are the largest barriers between community members and healthy eating.
- Food plays a role in creating health and wealth, which leads to self-sufficiency.
- Food businesses/jobs that leverage the community and create opportunities for creating wealth and economic opportunities would be helpful.
- Community food systems mean access to healthy and culturally relevant food which keep money circulating in the community and create self-sufficiency.
- Community empowerment means self-sufficiency, reparations through land and resources, and pride as being an asset to the greater community.