Our Mission
Garden Friendly Community Fort Bragg (GFCFB) is dedicated to ensuring and sustaining food security in Fort Bragg, CA by supporting home and community gardening.  
The Work We Do
GFCFB works with the City of Fort Bragg and property owners, along with community organizations, businesses and individuals to secure space and resources to develop and sustain home and community gardens in Fort Bragg. ​

​We provide a framework and support for self-organized gardeners to create and manage community gardens.

GFCFB takes on the work and challenges that might otherwise prevent the creation of community gardens—negotiating agreements to make land available, providing liability insurance, ensuring access to water, securing donations and resources for maintenance and capital improvements, and creating a network of connections and relationships to resolve issues. ​
On September 9, 2019 the Fort Bragg City Council adopted a resolution designating Fort Bragg, California as a Garden Friendly City, Encouraging the Community to Organize a Garden Friendly Community Committee and Declaring Fort Bragg as the First Garden Friendly Community in the World.
Support We Provide
​Through our website and on social media, GFCFB aims to support the community at large, by connecting those with a gardening/food need to those with a gardening/food solution or resource. Here are a few of the services we hope to provide:
  • Maintain a comprehensive listing of all the local businesses and organizations that provide material resources--seeds, tools, soils & compost, etc.
  • ​Promote and provide educational opportunities and materials—classes, workshops, internships, film screenings, etc.​
The Network
Through community meetings and via outreach through social and traditional media, GFCFB has been building the Network, a coalition of supporters that are committed to our mission. The Network is our way to identify and communicate needs, find resources and connect the dots to make things happen. Anyone that believes in what we're doing and wants to be involved is strongly encouraged to join the GFCFB Network.

About our Fiscal Sponsor

GFCFB is still a very young organization that has not quite grown to the point where it can handle all the aspects of being a stand-alone 501(c)(3) non profit. The responsibilities and effort required to provide financial oversight, accounting and tax reporting for an organization can be a real distraction and burden for a group like ours. But thanks to the support of a mature non-profit, who is willing to act as our fiscal sponsor, we are able to focus on our mission and let our sponsor carry some of the financial weight.

Our initial fiscal sponsor, Noyo Food Forest (NFF), took us under their wing and allowed us to raise tax-deductible funds to get our first garden started. We thank them for giving us a great start.

We have since transitioned to be sponsored by Mendocino Coast Children's Fund (MCCF). They have been a supporter of our mission from the very beginning and we look forward to learning from them and benefiting from their deep community ties. 

​We are separate organizations, with aligned missions that each work, in our distinct ways, to help ensure a resilient community and food-secure families here in Fort Bragg. Thank you, Mendocino Coast Children's Fund!

Meet The Garden Friendly Community Fort Bragg Board

​The GFCFB Board is a totally volunteer-based organization committed to delivering on our mission and building a non-profit organization that can sustain this work into the future.

We are a fledgling organization that is looking to add members to the GFCFB Board that bring specific skills that will help us grow. We are looking for those with any/all of the following skills and experience: accounting/finance, non-profit organization building, native Spanish-speaker, LatinX community roots, Native American community roots, community gardening, fundraising, garden design/construction, garden education, community organizing, Please contact us if you or someone you know would be a good fit.

President

Jaime Jensen

Secretary

Sydney Grange

Treasurer

Jill Surdzial

Garden Liaison

Jess Yates

Marketing & Education Coordinator

Magnolia Barrett

Finance Coordinator

Carolyn Gondek

Construction Coordinator

Wyatt Emig

The Garden Friendly Community Fort Bragg Advisory Board

​The GFCFB Advisory Board is comprised of individuals that have specialized knowledge, experience and skills and are committed to sharing them with the GFCFB Board in an ongoing effort to strengthen the organization and achieve its mission. Please contact us if you or someone you know would be a good fit.

Matt Drewno