Dear Friends,

As we move into the second half of 2014, I want to thank each of you for partnering with me to bring healing organic meals and a community of caring to our clients, and to give teens opportunities to learn about healthy eating, gain leadership and job-readiness skills and give back to their community. 

With an added cooking day starting soon in our Sebastopol kitchen, a larger cooking space in Marin, our Sonoma kitchen approaching its first anniversary, a planned 2015 launch for a new location in the East Bay, and demand rising for our training program for new affiliates outside the Bay Area, our circle continues to widen. 

In Sonoma and Marin counties in 2014, we'll deliver 16,000 more meals than last year, and that means hundreds more clients and teens will be supported in changing their eating habits and in experiencing the power of community. 

Those added meals will cost about $120,000 to prepare and deliver. You can help!

Please support our

summer Fund a Meal campaign by donating online now.

Your financial support will mean the world to one of our clients. And when you donate to Ceres, your money funds not just those healing meals, but also our incredible teen program. Our teen volunteers are trained and mentored in leadership, work-readiness and cooking as they grow and prepare the free and low cost healthy organic meals designed to support the healing of clients facing a health crisis like cancer.

As part of our ongoing commitment to creating a the best program we can for teens, we've just added a second teen seat to our Board of Directors, and given full voting rights to teen members. You can read about this year's teen board members below. 

I'd like to thank everyone who has attended one of the many special events we've been a part of this summer, and all who are planning to join us for Harvest of the Heart, Ceres' annual gala event, in a few weeks. You can read more about all of these events in the paragraphs that follow. 

Thank you for helping us bring the healing power of food and community to more clients and teens this year. We couldn't do this work without you!

Warmly,

Cathryn Couch

Executive Director

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Executive Director Cathryn Couch, Teen Leaders Diego Maldonado and Alya Bohr, and Garden Program Manager Sara McCamant on the Giants' home field.

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You are not just what you eat, you are what you absorb. Our health depends on our ability to digest what we consume, assimilate nutrients, and properly dispose of waste products.

Our digestive tract is a complex ecosystem, and needs to maintain acid/base balance (for proper pH), healthy muscle tone (to ensure foods move in the direction), appropriate acid secretion in the stomach (to protect us from harmful bacteria and to break down foods), sufficient enzymes (from the pancreas, to further break down foods), proper bile secretion (from the liver via gall bladder, for fat absorption), and strong mucosa (to protect us and so we can absorb nutrients). Not to mention keeping the right atmosphere for the friendly bacteria to inhabit it, thus keeping the unfriendly microorganisms out. To meet all of these needs, we need to consume whole, healthy foods that provide enzymes, vitamins, minerals, fiber, proteins, fats and carbohydrates, and we also need to understand how our lifestyle affects this process.

Digestion starts with our brains. When we think of food, look at food, smell food, and touch food, our brains start the process by initiating physiological responses, such as salivation, heart rate changes, digestive enzyme secretion, and many others. This is one of the reasons why eating mindfully helps digestion. When you are ready to eat, present your food beautifully, even if you are just cooking for yourself. Take a deep, and then look at your plate, smell the aromas, and feel gratitude. Then take your time chewing, experiencing all the different textures in the food. Put your fork or spoon down between bites, and visualize how your food is nourishing you. 

Click here to read the complete article on our website... 

DIgestion image: acs.org

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Volunteer Orientation-Sebastopol

Tuesday, August 19

Adult orientation 5:30-6:30pm

Teen orientation 5:30-7:00pm  

Volunteer Orientation - Sonoma 

Tuesday, August 26

6:00-7:00pm

 Take the first step towards becoming part of the Ceres volunteer family. This orientation is focused on adult and teen volunteer opportunities at our Sonoma kitchen (registration not required) and will take place at:

Volunteer Orientation - Marin

Wednesday, August 27

4:30 to 5:30pm 

Ceres Marin continues to grow and invites you to attend an orientation to learn about the volunteer roles for teens and adults. This orientation will take place at:

Ceres Kitchen Marin
4308 Redwood Highway, Suite 100