Meet Our Staff

	Amie Frisch Director and Co-Founder Amie Frisch is the Director and Co-founder of Veggielution Community Farm, which is focused on engaging the community and increasing food access in low income East San Jose. A 10 year resident of San Jose, she earned a BS in Environmental Studies from San Jose State University, where she was Director of the Environmental Resource Center and Co-founder of the Environmental Club. She was also part of the founding Steering Committee for the Real Food Challenge, a national campaign to unite students for just and sustainable food, where she worked to develop the Real Food Calculator. She is dedicated to working towards a more just sustainable food system in the Silicon Valley. amie@veggielution.org
	Mark Anthony Medeiros Farm Manager and Co-FounderMark Anthony Medeiros is the Farm Manager and Co-Founder of Veggielution. Born and raised in the South Valley, Mark graduated from San Jose State University with a bachelors degree in Sociology, with an emphasis on Community Change. He became politicized around the issues of urban fringe agriculture and open space preservation while in college, and participated in a number of land use debates in Santa Clara and San Benito counties, most notably the proposed Coyote Valley Specific Plan (CVSP), which was haulted in March 2008. He decided to devote himself to promoting sustainable agriculture in the Valley of Heart’s Delight, and founded Veggielution along with Amie Frisch. Mark currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Prusch Farm Park Foundation. The son of Portuguese immigrants with a rich farming tradition, he sees farming as the most direct connection that people have with the environment. For Mark, learning and teaching farming is about fostering the values of sustainability and social justice in himself and others in the South Bay community.mark@veggielution.org

	Yonara Acevedo Outreach and Education CoordinatorYona has been an active Workday Leader and recently stepped up her commitment to support Veggielution’s outreach and education efforts. She is facilitating our successfulCooking Mattersworkshop series and other cooking and gardening workshops. She is also spearheading efforts to make presentations to community groups such as churches and neighborhood associations, in order to increase awareness of the resources Veggielution offers and invite community members to participate in our programs.yonaraa@veggielution.org
	Julia Lang Development Manager Julia has been with Veggielution since the early days, and has really moved along with the organization. She began as a volunteer, became a workday leader, interned, became and AmeriCorps member, and now she is a part time staff member. Julia is now coordinating our workshops and events, restaurant distribution and sales, fundraising, and creating our monthly newsletter.Be sure to see Julia’s work in action; read our newsletter, attend a workshop, and take part in our events! julial@veggielution.org
	Monica Lisa Benavides School Garden InstructorMonica serves as the McKinley Elementary School Garden Coordinator, as well as being a Veggielution Workday Leader and a member of the Family Day and Outreach teams at the farm. She completed her undergraduate work in Child and Adolescent Development. Currently, she is completing her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and MA in Education through the Critical Research Academy at San Jose State University, researching Latino parent perceptions of and participation with school gardens. The McKinley Garden, located 2 miles from Veggielution, is a collaboration between McKinley Elementary, Slow Food South Bay, the San Jose State Health Science Department, and non-profits Veggielution Community Farm and Living Better Lives. The McKinley School Garden Program engages 4th through 6th graders in discovering the importance of agriculture, health and nutrition, science, math, and language art lessons. Funded in part by the San Jose Go Green Schools, the program helps students build a deeper connection between the environment, food and nutrition. It also provides parents, teachers and school staff members with increased opportunities for creating an outdoor education platform.monicalisa@veggielution.org
	Guadalupe Perez School Garden Organizer Lupe is Veggielution’s first School Garden Organizer, and is spearheading efforts to create and sustain school gardens in the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District. She will facilitate a collaboration between district officials, teachers, parents, children, and the broader community to make that happen. Additionally, Lupe is a Somos Mayfair Promotora focused on community health, a member of Sacred Heart Community Service’s Policy and Organizing program, married, and a mother of three. After graduating from La Mesa Verde’s backyard gardening program and sharing her bountiful home harvests with her neighbors, she is very interested in working with the community to bring healthy and affordable food into low income families’ lives. She wants to ensure that the entire community has access to good food, and that children and youth learn that there are natural cycles that we should not disrupt. lupep@veggielution.org
	Samantha Clark Outreach and Education InternSamantha Clark is a journalism student at San José State University hoping to become a food writer. She also serves at the Associated StudentsDirector of Community and Environmental Affairs. She believes the most important step for making local, fresh food the norm is through education and experience. Samantha will be working on the CSA Case Studies, workshops, lectures, newsletters, and general outreach.samantha.clark@sjsu.edu