Unique Partnership between South Central Youth & Family Service Agency, LAPD, and Chipotle Mexican Grill to Support Community Relations, Provide Education, and Grow Fresh Produce for the Community
The Newton Division of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) will be the scene of a highly unique event: the groundbreaking for a community garden on Newton Division property. A partnership between the LAPD and A Place Called Home (APCH), which has provided a safe haven of opportunity for underserved youth in South Central Los Angeles for over 21 years, the community garden will be developed on approximately 2,500 square feet of unused land on the south side of the Newton Division Los Angeles police headquarters. In addition to increasing access in the community to much-needed fresh, nutritious and locally grown produce, the garden will provide a special opportunity for LAPD officers and local residents to plant seeds together and harvest positive relationships, thus providing “nourishment” on many levels. Seed funding for the garden has been donated by Chipotle Mexican Grill as part of a larger APCH program that aims to convert unused urban spaces into gardens, and cultivate and support nutrition education and local and sustainable food sources.
WHAT:
Groundbreaking ceremony for the 2,500 square-foot community garden at Newton Division Station, a highly unique partnership between the LAPD and A Place Called Home, and funded by Chipotle Mexican Grill. The garden is envisioned as part of a larger community-wide endeavor entitled Central Avenue Bloom and is a potential model for other neighborhoods and private/public sector partnerships.
WHO:
- LAPD Chief Charlie Beck
- Los Angeles City Councilmember (District 9) Curren Price
- LAPD Captain David J. Kowalski, Newton Division Headquarters representative
- Jonathan Zeichner, executive director of A Place Called Home
- Tarabu Betserai Kirkland, director of programs for APCH who conceived of the idea for the APCH-Newton Police Division garden
- Libby Balsiger, marketing strategist, Chipotle Mexican Grill
- Newton Division officers
- Youth and parents from A Place Called Home
DATE:
Friday, June 20, 2014
TIME:
10:00am Event start and opening remarks
10:10 Presentations
10:35 Groundbreaking ceremony
10:50 APCH Band and Pop-Up Farmers Market
WHERE:
LAPD Newton Division Station
3400 South Central Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90011
(323) 846-6547
About A Place Called Home
A Place Called Home (APCH) is a safe haven in South Central Los Angeles where underserved youth are empowered to take ownership of the quality and direction of their lives through programs in education, arts, and well-being, and are inspired to make a meaningful difference in their community and the world. Core programs work in conjunction with one another to support APCH members in avoiding destructive behaviors by developing life skills and motivation to overcome adversity, make healthy, productive choices, and take advantage of the opportunities that lie before them. For more information, visit www.apch.org.
About Chipotle
Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO, started Chipotle with the idea that food served fast did not have to be a typical fast food experience. Today, Chipotle continues to offer a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere. Through our vision of Food With Integrity, Chipotle is seeking better food from using ingredients that are not only fresh, but that-where possible-are sustainably grown and naturally raised with respect for the animals, the land, and the farmers who produce the food. A similarly focused people culture, with an emphasis on identifying and empowering top performing employees, enables us to develop future leaders from within. Chipotle opened with a single restaurant in 1993 and currently operates about 1,650 restaurants including seven ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen restaurants, and is an investor in an entity that owns and operates one Pizzeria Locale. For more information, visit Chipotle.com.
posted by: Eric Fujimori
7/3/14
