WCCUSD

Claire Herminjard is the founder of Mindful Meats, a local organic beef company located in Marin County, California. “I wanted to create a meat company that created access for all people to organic beef. And also to sell it to communities that don’t have that access like public schools,” Claire said.

For the past year, Barbara Jellison, the Food Service Director of the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD), has been creatively coordinating food boxes for students in need of meals amid pandemic-caused school closures. However, it wasn’t until October that she recognized the demand for whole foods (rather than prepackaged items) when turnout skyrocketed for pick up of boxes that offered whole pumpkins. After observing the momentum, she began to seek out more whole produce so families could prepare their own fresh fruit and veggies at home.