Since 1999, North County Solutions for Change has been making a difference for North County's homeless families, creating avenues for them to get off the street and into permanent housing by offering employment training, affordable housing, educational opportunities and other services. Since its formation, North County Solutions for Change has assisted 600 families, including 1,200 children, get out from the grip of homelessness.
Now, the Vista-based nonprofit founded by Chris and Tammy Megison is stepping into a new venture: farming.
On July 25th, the company held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Solutions Farm, a hydroponics farming facility that will help the organization expand its mission of serving the homeless.
The people who are being helped by North County Solutions for Change will be able to work on the farm, gaining marketable skills. The food they grow will be sold to local restaurants and markets, and the income they generate will go back to the program.
The food will be grown by hydroponics, a close-looped water-based system that doesn't require soil and is high-yield.
The water is enriched by fish, in this case tilapia, which will be grown and also consumed, said Chris Megison, who called it a "work-to-eat" program.
"This will allow for people to learn skills that have more than minimum-wage value in the community," Megison said.
The farm will initially grow only salad greens and raising tilapia, but there are plans to add other crops as the program expands.
The first crop is expected in August, and will be served to guests to "An Evening to Remember … with Rudy Giuliani," a special fundraiser that Solutions for Change will host on Sept. 22 at the La Costa Resort and Spa. For more information on that event, visit www.solutionsforchange.org.
KUDOS to Megison and all of the volunteers that made this exciting venture possible, including employees of the TaylorMade Golf Company, who donated more than 700 volunteer hours to turn the property into the Solutions Farm.
In other good deeds:
KUDOS to John Haedrich of Tip Top Meats, who has once again come to the aid of young farmers at the 4-H junior livestock auction that takes place in the closing weekend of the San Diego County Fair. Haedrich purchased 12 pigs and eight cattle, dropping a total of $34,000. In an even more kudo-worthy turn, Haedrich has donated all of the pork he purchased to military families at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. He'll be helping 80 military families through the Military Outreach Ministry.
KUDOS to Stephen Bliss, the president of the Army and Navy Academy, who was named the 2012 president of the Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States (AMCSUS).
Founded in 1914, AMCSUS includes 40 two- and four-year colleges and universities, college preparatory schools and academies that offer a quality education in a military environment with emphases on strong values, leadership development, citizenship and service to other.
KUDOS to Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP partners William W. Eigner, Richard A. Heller, and Paul B. Johnson, who were named "Top Attorneys" in San Diego County by The Daily Transcript. Both Eigner and Johnson were recognized in the Corporate Transactional category, while Heller was recognized in Estate Planning/Probate & Trust category .
KUDOS to former Carlsbad Unified School District Superintendent John Roach, who recently retired, for being selected as a semifinalist for SuperIntendent of the year by the National Association of School Superintendents.
Roach is one of six semifinalists vying for the honor.
According to the NASS website, Some of Roach's many achievements include maintaining a balanced budget and continuing to improve student achievement in the midst of California's fiscal crisis, serving on the board of directors of SEAC, the only statewide organization representing students in the collective bargaining process, and chairing his county's superintendents' networking group for six years.
Now, the Vista-based nonprofit founded by Chris and Tammy Megison is stepping into a new venture: farming.
On July 25th, the company held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Solutions Farm, a hydroponics farming facility that will help the organization expand its mission of serving the homeless.
The people who are being helped by North County Solutions for Change will be able to work on the farm, gaining marketable skills. The food they grow will be sold to local restaurants and markets, and the income they generate will go back to the program.
The food will be grown by hydroponics, a close-looped water-based system that doesn't require soil and is high-yield.
The water is enriched by fish, in this case tilapia, which will be grown and also consumed, said Chris Megison, who called it a "work-to-eat" program.
"This will allow for people to learn skills that have more than minimum-wage value in the community," Megison said.
The farm will initially grow only salad greens and raising tilapia, but there are plans to add other crops as the program expands.
The first crop is expected in August, and will be served to guests to "An Evening to Remember … with Rudy Giuliani," a special fundraiser that Solutions for Change will host on Sept. 22 at the La Costa Resort and Spa. For more information on that event, visit www.solutionsforchange.org.
KUDOS to Megison and all of the volunteers that made this exciting venture possible, including employees of the TaylorMade Golf Company, who donated more than 700 volunteer hours to turn the property into the Solutions Farm.
In other good deeds:
KUDOS to John Haedrich of Tip Top Meats, who has once again come to the aid of young farmers at the 4-H junior livestock auction that takes place in the closing weekend of the San Diego County Fair. Haedrich purchased 12 pigs and eight cattle, dropping a total of $34,000. In an even more kudo-worthy turn, Haedrich has donated all of the pork he purchased to military families at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. He'll be helping 80 military families through the Military Outreach Ministry.
KUDOS to Stephen Bliss, the president of the Army and Navy Academy, who was named the 2012 president of the Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States (AMCSUS).
Founded in 1914, AMCSUS includes 40 two- and four-year colleges and universities, college preparatory schools and academies that offer a quality education in a military environment with emphases on strong values, leadership development, citizenship and service to other.
KUDOS to Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP partners William W. Eigner, Richard A. Heller, and Paul B. Johnson, who were named "Top Attorneys" in San Diego County by The Daily Transcript. Both Eigner and Johnson were recognized in the Corporate Transactional category, while Heller was recognized in Estate Planning/Probate & Trust category .
KUDOS to former Carlsbad Unified School District Superintendent John Roach, who recently retired, for being selected as a semifinalist for SuperIntendent of the year by the National Association of School Superintendents.
Roach is one of six semifinalists vying for the honor.
According to the NASS website, Some of Roach's many achievements include maintaining a balanced budget and continuing to improve student achievement in the midst of California's fiscal crisis, serving on the board of directors of SEAC, the only statewide organization representing students in the collective bargaining process, and chairing his county's superintendents' networking group for six years.