Weekly Nourish Nights at the Forge Garden
Event promotes Santa Clara’s sustainable ideals and combats food insecurity
First offered in the spring of last year, Santa Clara’s Forge Garden hosts “Nourish Nights” on Monday evenings, where students and faculty come together to prepare and enjoy free plant-based meals.
According to Madeline Pugh, community development garden apprentice, Nourish Nights were created to address crucial student needs. The event is hosted in conjunction with the Center for Sustainability to combat food insecurity and support the mental and physical health of students.
“It’s an incredible way to address food insecurity by providing a space that is open to everyone,” she said. “It’s not as if you have to identify yourself as food insecure to come to this event.”
Each meal is prepared by student volunteers, giving them an opportunity to learn how to cook culturally relevant and plant-based meals. Becca Nelson, the sustainable food systems manager at the Forge, emphasized the fulfilling aspects of being a meal leader.
“There is something really powerful about connecting people through food,” Nelson said. “Learning how to cook and prepare your own food and share it with others is something that you can carry through your whole life. We will always need to feed ourselves well, and the fact that Nourish Nights is not just feeding people but people are also helping facilitate the cooking of that food is really important.”
On Feb. 6, 68 community members were present at the event – the highest attendance of any Nourish Night so far. The recent influx has encouraged the hosts to reconsider ways to increase the number of meals they make and serve.
“There are definitely some adjustments that need to be made as the event expands,” Pugh said. “I am so glad that more students are coming, but it's unfortunate that some people are going to have to go to Benson later because they didn’t get enough food on their plates.”
Along with Nourish Nights, the Forge also hosts a weekly donation-based Farm Stand. This event is open to students and other community members every Friday, giving more people access to affordable organic produce.
“No one will be turned away because of lack of funds,” Nelson said. “We have suggested donation rates per pound but it’s really pay what you are able to. The Forge also has produce that we donate to the Bronco Pantry every Friday.”
According to Nourish California, about 1 in 5 California residents experience food insecurity on a daily basis. In the Bay Area, senior citizens and children are the most vulnerable to food insecurity with about 1 in 3 children not knowing where their next meal will come from.
“Research conducted by the Student Food Security and Basic Needs Project–of which Pugh is a part–has found that 1 in 5 students at Santa Clara are at risk of experiencing food insecurity. The project is focused on researching the extent of food insecurity on campus and how to improve the current resources available.”
As a private school, Santa Clara does not have access to the state funding that is used to support students at public universities.
“It puts students who are food insecure in an unfortunate position,” Pugh said. “That’s why an event like Nourish Night makes such a great impact. Anyone can come and there is no othering.”