Written By:
Nora Wallace - Marketing &  Public Relations Manager

Using locally sourced fresh produce, a unique community experience will blend nutritional education with hands-on learning at “Nourish Lompoc: Saving the Harvest” on Aug. 29, 2026 at the Dick DeWees Community and Senior Center. 

The free Lompoc Hospital District Foundation event runs from 1 to 4 p.m. and RSVPs are recommended but not required. The center is located at 1120 W. Ocean Ave. Space will be limited and on a first-come, first-served basis for those who do not register in advance. 

The event is designed to provide useful, practical information for community members of all ages, with particular benefits for seniors and families interested in preparing nutritious meals, stretching their food budgets and reducing food waste. Learning simple ways to prepare and preserve seasonal produce can help people make greater use of fresh foods while extending the life of ingredients they already have on hand. 

Route One Farmers Market Executive Director Shelby Wild will provide basic cooking skill demonstrations and nutrition information during the afternoon. She will use locally grown vegetables to educate about using surplus, seasonal produce to produce delicious and nutritious meals. The local produce used will be donated by Bautista Family Farms, Dare 2 Dream Farm, Tutti Fruitti Farm and Veggie Rescue. 

“Nourish Lompoc is about giving people practical skills they can take home and use right away,” Wild said. “For seniors, knowing how to turn fresh, seasonal produce into simple meals can be especially valuable. Cooking for one or two people can sometimes make it difficult to use fresh produce before it goes to waste, so learning ways to preserve it, freeze it or incorporate it into different meals can help make healthy eating more manageable and economical.” 

Those same skills can benefit families looking for affordable ways to add more fresh foods to their meals, Wild said. 

“Families are often balancing busy schedules with the cost of putting nutritious food on the table,” she said. “Learning a few flexible recipes and knowing how to use what you already have can make a real difference. We live in an incredible agricultural community where fresh produce is grown all around us, and we want people to feel confident making the most of that local abundance.” 

​​Depending on availability of produce the day of Nourish, Wild will educate attendees on how to make recipes such as refrigerator pickles, leafy greens pesto, mix and match stir fry and other recipes as time allows. She also plans to inform the audience about freezing tomatoes and other plentiful summer crops easily accessible at this time of year. ​     ​​The hands-on approach is intended to make the information accessible even for those who may have limited cooking experience. Rather than relying on complicated recipes or specialty ingredients, the class will focus on adaptable techniques that can be used with different vegetables depending on what is available, in season or already in the refrigerator. 

Attendees must participate in the education class in order to take home freshly made food at the conclusion of the event. 

The event is sponsored by the Lompoc Hospital District Foundation and Route One Farmers Market, with assistance from the City of Lompoc Recreation and Parks division. 

To serve a seat at Nourish, or to receive more information, contact Foundation Community Outreach Coordinator Susan Xiong at 805-737-5762 or email xiongsu@lhdfoundation.org.