Philip Yates connected his community through food – helping to buy, distribute, prepare and enjoy together
Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune Philip Yates looks after the plants in his Talent Garden.
Editor’s Note: Community Builder is a periodic Q& A series featuring ideas from local people who have contributed to a big change in Southern Oregon. Today’s interview is with Philip Yates, Rogue Valley Farm to School board member.
Q: You have worked at ACCESS to save food for families in the Rogue Valley for many years. How did you end up getting involved in food service and food insecurity?
Philip: I did several jobs before joining the public service. I was an electronics technician in England, then in Australia. While traveling in New Zealand, I met a beautiful American woman. Nancy was from Ashland; we beat it. We were together for a while when he had to leave suddenly to go back to Oregon because his father was really sick. I had fallen in love and had to decide about the future. I called and asked Nancy to comfort me on the phone. He said, ‘Yes, I will marry you, but you have to come here. I have been to Australia. I want you to come here.’ It took me a while to get the right visa. I came in 1980.
Q: So you came to a new state for a new life?
Philip: We were both looking for a new job, and we were recruited by Waldorf Education. We felt that this is what we should do. We returned to England for our training. I became a Waldorf teacher and taught for seven years. It was the hardest job I’ve ever done. I respect people who teach a lot, but it wasn’t me. Once again, I was left wondering what to do.
There was a book called, ‘What Color Is My Parachute?’ I started reading that and thought about what I should do. It seemed to point me in the direction of community service. One of the exercises was to talk to someone in social services you know. Ben Benjamin was the ACCESS nutrition program director. I called Ben and he said, ‘Well, why don’t you come down and look at the warehouse? I’m making a change in the center, and my job is available.’ It happened quickly, but I knew how to run programs. I went to the interview, and Patty Claeys, the executive director, hired me.
Q: What was your first impression of the famine in the Rogue Valley?
Philip: I found myself at work three days before Thanksgiving in 1991. I knew a little because I saw what Ben was doing. At that time I did not understand why there was hunger in the United States. I traveled to other places, like Asia. I saw poverty through the eyes of people begging on the streets, and there was nothing like that here.
Q: How has your attitude changed?
Philip: Slowly, in painful moments, I understood what we were dealing with. Finally, I realized that we were dealing with malnutrition and not hunger specifically. In the 1990s, after I started ACCESS, the economy started to improve. Unemployment was low and suddenly in 1996, many government programs were cut. It was assumed that people had jobs and could support themselves. But the reality was, for many low-income earners – even if they had a job – they weren’t making enough money to pay all their bills. If you pay more than 30% of your household income, there is very little food left for nutritious food. And most people paid 50% of their salary for housing. So the burden was shifted to non-profit organizations because government food programs had been cut.
Q: So have nonprofits replaced government food programs?
Philip: 2001 was a peak year for food aid. Americans in poverty increased by 8 million people, school meal support was reduced and Food Stamps were cut by $23 million. Food banks had to get more resources. Increasingly, the burden fell on nonprofits. Food programs in the Rogue Valley were asking local foundations for food purchase support. We all knew we had to find the root causes. That was a real change. We set out on a journey to find out where we could find the most food – and the most nutritious food.
Q: Where did your search for healthy food take you?
Philip: We know that the most important time for proper nutrition is from birth to 3. If WIC (Women Infants and Children) food programs were to be cut, we would have to provide nutritious meals for young families. ACCESS built a kitchen called the Olsrud Family Nutrition Center in 2000. That allowed us to expand nutrition for adults throughout Jackson County, in partnership with the Rogue Valley Council of Governments, and creating new program opportunities.
Through Leightman Maxey and other foundations, the food community began to look at building a strong food system. Not just the people who deliver the food, but the local farmers who produce the food and deliver it to the centers. We needed a new generation of farmers. The average age of farmers had reached 60. Young people were not entering the business. In 2012, all the participating agencies decided to combine the Jackson County food inspection. It took a year to get the teams together, talk to the farmers and everyone involved in the food system. Kathy Bryon of the Gordon Elwood Foundation helped guide us in creating the Rogue Valley Food System Network. The food system network is expanding. Are we still there? No. But much progress has been made.
For ACCESS, for me, it was about how do we bring more nutrition to our programs? How do we work with health care providers? People were struggling with diabetes and gluten intolerance. We have created Food Share Gardens. People from Gold Hill, Rogue River, Medford and VA Dom grew food to distribute through ACCESS to food pantries. Those gardens produced, at their height, about 50,000 pounds of organic vegetables a year. In partnership with the Oregon Food Bank, we launched a new food access program called Fresh Alliance. This brought major grocery stores such as Fred Meyer, Walmart and Safeway on board as major providers of frozen and perishable foods. The program grew and grew and grew.
With some government money, we were able to buy a truck with a refrigerator that we could use as a food warehouse to distribute fresh fruits and vegetables. We were changing the perspective of providing nutritious food to the community.
Q: What are some of your proudest accomplishments at ACCESS?
Philip: I am very proud to work with the Rogue Valley Food System Network. We were working for a better society with good nutrition for all, not just for the underprivileged. Sherm and Wanda Olsrud have been amazing ACCESS donors. I got to know them and I felt very proud to know their example of giving. The Olsruds never wanted anything back. They always gave because there was a need. Any opportunity to talk to them was a precious moment for me.
Q: You retired from ACCESS but recently joined the Rogue Valley Farm to School board. What does Rogue Valley Farm to School do that makes a difference?
Philip: We have several programs that focus on building gardens in schools and nutrition education. Primary schools have lessons that focus on their gardens: composting, gardening, nutrition and maths. The responses from the teachers and administration have been encouraging – not only changing the lives of the children but changing the lives of the teachers and administrators. We only reach 25% of the schools in the area; we could achieve more.
Q: What about sample programs for nutritious foods for children?
Philip: We have ‘Harvest of the Month’ tasting tables. It’s usually a fruit or vegetable for the kids to try. They get to vote on it. We have our own grocery shopping program to get more fresh fruits and vegetables for school lunches. We work with local farmers and are an Oregon Farm to School regional center. During the pandemic and the fire, we were able to find and distribute $1 million worth of fresh food for local families.
Q: You have lived in different places around the world. Why is it your home?
Philip: I lived in Manchester, England, then I moved to Australia and lived in Sydney, which is another big city. I was suffering from the loneliness of cities, where you get on a bus and no one welcomes anyone. When I first came to Southern Oregon, when I walked down the street people would say, “Hello.” I immediately felt a sense of community. Working on food shows was a job I wanted all along because it was about the community. I was always a team player, no matter what sport. I want to improve things, but I can’t change them individually. Every time we were at ACCESS, we asked for help, and people stepped forward. It was really the community part that I loved. It’s about working together.
Q: What would you like to see improve life here?
Philip: I want to see successful children—they start life with proper nutrition. It’s a personal choice down the road, but for young children, we have to find ways to help them early.
Q: What does someone from England think about life there?
Philip: I have friends from other countries and they visit me; they leave with a great feeling in this place. Being able to go rafting, go to the redwoods and – a special gem – to have an Oregon Shakespeare festival here is rare. Having a small community with a very unique culture.
Q: What is the enhancement that you are now familiar with?
Philip: I learned the importance of nutrition and how it affects people’s health. I learned that good food makes all the difference – not just preparing and enjoying it, but the experience of eating it together. I am from England, and I am the only one in my family who has traveled 50 kilometers from Manchester. It took me that long to get perspective. Nutrition spoke to me personally and it became a passion to help the community.
Steve Boyarsky is a retired teacher and longtime Rogue Valley resident. He continues to be involved in educational and youth programs.
Bio: Rogue Valley Farm to School
Rogue Valley Farm to School teaches children about our food system through hands-on farm and garden programs and by adding local foods to school meals. We encourage appreciation of local agriculture that improves the economy and environment of our community and the health of its members.
RVF2S works with schools to build a culture of health. Students participate in courses on growing food, agriculture, nutrition, food preparation and the environment. Programs include field trips, school garden activities, dining programs and teacher development. Monthly tastings expose students to foods such as vegetables, soups or salads that students may not be familiar with.
Farm to School also helps school nutrition programs buy local, fresh, nutritious food. Nutritionists and culinary experts work with more than 20 local schools and farms to provide healthy meals. For more information or to get involved with Rogue Valley Farm to School, see rvfarm2school.org.
