Born and raised in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, Hernan Cavazos is co-founder of Solidarity Farm and Foodshed. Active since the age of 13, he spent ten years with an anarchist collective working to create cooperative community spaces. As an immigrant to the US, father of three and grandson to elders that lived off their land, Hernan sees farming as one of the most radical vocations. If done according to natural practices, it can heal our communities and our planet. He sees Foodshed as a way to create solidarity amongst farmers and relationships between producers and consumers.

Ellee Igoe is co-founder of Solidarity Farm and Foodshed and mother of three free-spirited children. She is a tireless visionary and brings a whole lot of heart and sweat to all of her endeavors.

Mexicano, life-long community organizer in the Tijuana/San Diego borderlands, father of three and musician at heart, Ricardo Cataño is A La Vuelta Farm and Foodshed co-founder. He has had multiple jobs to survive in this world. He’s a great forklift driver, has done tons of composting and has grown thousands and thousands of wheat grass trays and microgreens. He does what he does in this life (playing music, talking to people, growing microgreens and working on social justice projects) because that’s what pumps his blood and makes him happy. As part of the Foodshed crew, he looks forward to continued learning and is excited to work with people that hold the same values, fight for justice and access to good food for all.

Adriana grew up in the borderlands and fields of the Imperial Valley, is the daughter of Mexican immigrants, and is inspired by the autonomous indigenous movement of the Zapatistas. Adriana worked as a high school teacher in City Heights before becoming a mother of two and A La Vuelta Farm and Foodshed co-founder. Adriana is no longer part of Foodshed as she returned to educating the next generation but we would still like to honor her as a founding member of Foodshed.

KK has been working in the San Diego Food System since 2009. Her past work includes managing an urban farm based job readiness program for high school aged youth at Second Chance, and facilitating garden based youth programming for Urban Life Farms, the International Rescue Committee and Crawford and Hoover High Schools. KK has an MS in Food Systems and Society, her thesis work focused on how to make the sustainable agriculture movement more inclusive of low-income people of color. She also completed a Farmer Training Program from the University of Vermont and earned her BA from Kenyon College studying International Relations and Environmental Science. KK is very excited to get back into farming on a larger scale at Solidarity Farm, mentoring new farmers through her work with Pauma Tribal Gardens, and working with Foodshed to help small farmers and underserved consumers collaborate on creating a more equitable and just food system.

Bea is an Uruguayan native, raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since moving to San Diego in 2010 she’s been a part of several environmental and educational initiatives driven by innovation, sustainability, community, and the development of positive leadership for the next generation. Bea’s main areas of interest include: soil health, carbon farming, agroecology, water conservation, food security, natural building, recycling, landscaping, permaculture, and regenerative practices. She enjoys working with youth, community groups, and collaborative environments that nurture growth, foster empowerment, and inspire us to reconnect with the natural world.

Alex grew up in San Diego learning how to grow food sustainably in her family’s backyard. In her previous job, she worked with supermarkets to reduce their food waste and provide groceries at a discounted price. She is thrilled to join Foodshed and work more with the incredible Foodshed community.

Casey (he/him) grew up in LA before coming to San Diego for college. After college, he lived in Nashville for 5 years where he worked in the restaurant industry as well as in a food justice org. Nashville was his introduction to authentic community organizing and he holds dearly many relationships he built in the South. Casey just moved back to San Diego after being in Michigan for a couple years and he is excited to participate in this work with you. He believes in liberation and know this work in partnership with others will get us there! He is also a pianist/musician, loves to eat/make good food, enjoys team sports (volleyball in particular), and lives for his community. So excited to get to know you all!

Cris Juarez lives in Kumeyaay Territory, borderlands of Tijuana/SanDiego. Cris loves growing food, medicinal herbs and flowers in and for her community as well as weaving relationships of trust and care. She is interested in practicing and strengthening horizontality in the spaces she participates in. Cris is the co-founder of Pixca Farm, Inecui Flowers, and Tianguis de la Raza.

Diana Echeverría is a photographer and filmmaker born and raised in the Tijuana/San Diego borderland. She is an active participant of projects that encourage natural and sustainable seasonal farming and support small worker cooperatives and food justice. Her heart is driven by art as she delves on the natural and harsh effects of society and the understanding of one's identity and formative years. She believes that maintaining a close connection with the community is essential for restorative healing and mindfulness. Diana feels her best when she reconnects with her inner child through swimming and roller-skating.

José Gerardo Alcaraz was born and raised in the beautiful border of San Diego/Tijuana. He studied environmental engineering and quickly realized it was not what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. After years of searching for his calling, he found agriculture. So disconnected from his roots that he had no idea his calling was right under my nose. He was privileged to find a cooperative farm project real close to where he lived. He was brought on as a co-owner and his life took a huge turn. He was empowered by the sense of ownership. He developed himself in areas he had no idea he was capable of. He is now a farmer and an advocate of cooperative structures. He believes we all have the capacity to create structures in which we can strive and grow in all areas of our lives.

Like many of us who are trying to re-root in a landscape far away from our ancestral lands, Mónica navigates the world as a first generation Mexican immigrant from Ensenada, and second generation Chinese immigrant from Toisan Village. She believes that stronger communities are fostered when we build a reciprocating relationship to our environment, no matter where we are planted. She has a new-found curiosity for civic engagement, and encourages everyone to attend city council meetings and get to know their local representatives.

Sarah (any pronouns) was born and raised in San Diego, but also has roots in Los Angeles, where she fell in love with community, activism, and the outdoors. She has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Davis. Sarah is thrilled to be a part of Foodshed where she can combine her passion for environmental justice and environmental science.

Steven Heslin is originally comes from the great state of New Jersey where he honed his sarcastic sense of humor. Steven spends his downtime reading comic books, drawing silly things, carving wooden magic wands and befriending feral cats and other random critters.

Tony grew up as a transfronterizo of Tijuana/San Diego. Father of 5 dogs, 4 cats and a bunny, Tony is fueled by an unwavering passion for rescuing animals. In every rescued creature, Tony sees a story of hope and resilience, reinforcing his commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of the voiceless. Throughout his journey, Tony has worn many hats to navigate the challenges of life. From mastering the art of calmly driving through San Diego traffic to following his dream of being a graphic designer, he has embraced every opportunity to survive and thrive in this world. As a new member of Foodshed he is thrilled to be a part of this amazing growing community.