What We Do
The composition of our Advisory Board and paid work team reflects Esperanza Community Farms members and regional supporters who have demonstrated full-family dedication to the overall health of the Pajaro Valley.
We stand for a holistic and inclusive approach to using our current assets, personal experiences, and collective skills to understand the conditions in which we live in order to transform them in the direction of financially- accessible, organic, and high-quality produce, as a transformative aspect of living fully healthy lives.
All advisors were CSA box recipients in the first two years of the program. Membership ranges from very-low income to middle income, from monolingual Spanish-speaking to Native English & bilingual, and from formally educated to primary school education completion. We are intentional in our search for members who are diverse in the many different aspects that our program addresses, including diagnosis of diabetes, parenthood, professional roles in positions of power/authority, and race.
We are grateful to Taylor Seamount, (an Artist envisioning a regenerative California through plein air and illustration) for the beautiful artwork featured as the cover of this page, celebrating art and organic farming.
Promoting consumption of fresh and local organic produce, economic justice and creative & cultural action in the Pajaro and Salinas Valleys. We supply sustainably farmed produce for families and partners, especially traditionally excluded people.
Mission
Vision
We envision a healthy, localized food system based on food sovereignty, work with dignity, and stewardship of the environment.
Farm Location
Here’s where our farm is located. Click on the button to get directions and plan your visit.
Farm hours are:
Monday – Friday: 7 AM–3 PM
Saturday & Sunday: By Appointment
Office hours are:
Monday – Friday: 9 AM–3 PM
Saturday & Sunday: Closed.
Esperanza Community Farms grows on land generously provided by the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County. We are grateful for their support in allowing us to cultivate healthy, organic food for our community.
Meet the Team
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Executive Director
Mireya Gomez-Contreras is a mom of two littles and enjoys crafting, baking and gardening. She was raised in Colima Mexico and in California, where her farmworker parents followed the crops between Sacramento and Salinas. Mireya has worked primarily in the nonprofit sector, leading and facilitating BIPOC-led efforts and organizations. She is passionate about integrating justice practices into earth-centered initiatives that benefit all beings fairly. Mireya serves on the CA BIPOC Producer Advisory Committee and the CDFA Farm to Community Food Hubs Working Group.
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Finances
I am from Honduras, with an academic background in business administration, a master’s degree in finance, and a diploma in tax administration. I am the mother of a girl and a boy. I am committed to economic recovery in fair and sustainable agriculture, supporting and developing financial education on farms. I run my own administrative services business. I like cooking and gardening, and I am a nature lover. I am supportive and enthusiastic about policies that prioritize social justice and equity.
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Administrative Coordinator
I’ve lived in Watsonville for almost 25 years and I’m passionate about contributing to my community. I’ve always had an interest in agriculture and I’m enthusiastic about bringing my administrative and customer relations experience to this opportunity at ECF to work towards food justice and community empowerment.
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Basket Production and Delivery Coordinator
My name is Herlindo Ramírez, and I’m originally from San Martín Peras, Oaxaca. I moved to Watsonville, California, 28 years ago with my wife Regina, and we have four children. Since 1999, I’ve been involved with the Casa de la Cultura, where I discovered my passion for reading and studying human relations. I also participated in diabetes prevention with Salud Para La Gente, worked as a Spanish-to-Mixteco interpreter, and collaborated with the United Farm Workers and the WIC program. I enjoy walking in nature and listening to alternative rock music.
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Communications & Marketing
Inspired by nature, music, and laughter, I go through life creating and doing my job for any business or person that needs good publicity or design. I studied communication sciences in Mexico City, and I have a bachelor’s in communication sciences. Having a great interest in advertising and audiovisual production. I infinitely believe that teamwork does wonderful things.
In Farm We Trust
🥕
In Farm We Trust 🥕
Board of Directors & Advisors
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![Ramiro Medrano]()
Ramiro Medrano
Board Member
He is a Watsonville native and lifetime educator. He worked in PVUSD and UC Santa Cruz for nearly 15 years combined, promoting college and supporting some of the most vulnerable families and students through the educational system. He helped establish multiple community gardens in PVUSD schools, as well as the Farm2Cafeteria project at PVHS. He now works in Salinas, CA, as a high school counselor, where he lives with his wife and two daughters.
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![Tom Bentley]()
Tom Bentley
Board Member
Tom Bentley lives with his wife and two kids in Watsonville. He’s a high school teacher and is currently teaching and running an agriculture program at Soquel High. Besides serving on ECF’s advisory board, he is also involved with the Center for Farmworker Families’ Campaign for Organic Regenerative Agriculture (CORA). Tom loves enjoying time with his friends and family, especially outdoor activities like camping, surfing, swimming in lakes and rivers, and golfing.
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![Ariel Stonebloom]()
Ariel Stonebloom
Board Member
Ariel Stonebloom is a highly engaged local community member, lending her passion for science, dedication to the community and commitment to social and environmental justice to the Esperanza board. She is a Biology and CTE Agriculture Teacher in Watsonville, a small scale Pinot Noir grape farmer, and a dedicated volunteer with both the Santa Cruz County Search and Rescue team and the YARR rapid response immigration hotline. She sees Esperanza farm as a vehicle for mutual aid and community strength.
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![Ana Rasmussen]()
Ana Rasmussen
Founder & Advisor
For more than 30 years Ana has worked toward social justice and increased equity in Santa Cruz County—in health care, public education, food justice, and land access. She is grateful for the daily opportunities to learn and grow in relationships with people from backgrounds, traditions, strengths, and lived-experience different than my own. Ana is the mother of two 30-something sons who live locally, and a companion to one affectionate, beloved dog.
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![Guillermo Lázaro]()
Guillermo Lázaro
Advisor
I am originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, and a father of two teenagers. Since I was little I was raised in a farming environment. After 12 years as a farm laborer I became curious about becoming a grower and wondered about the possibility of working for myself. In 2018 I entered an intensive 4-year organic farming training program and I received my Certified Organic Farmer certificate. I’ve lived in the Salinas Valley, also referred to as the Salad Bowl of the country, for 21 years.
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![Alma Leonor-Sanchez]()
Alma Leonor-Sanchez
Advisor
I am proud to have roots in Watsonville, CA where I was born and raised, and in Jalisco, Mexico. I am a graduate of Pajaro Valley High School and a current student at Cabrillo College. I will soon obtain my Bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Cruz in Environmental Studies. I like to read, write poetry, enjoy the outdoors, and spend time with family. I am passionate about the intersections of food justice, climate/environmental justice, and social justice in my community, and healing my(our) relationship to the land.
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![Paco Serrano]()
Paco Serrano
Advisor
I was born in Mexico City where a surreal air flows through the streets, creating amazing stories and pictures. That air inspires me every day in my work as an editor and cinematographer and motivates me to keep learning every day in order to bring the best quality to the projects.
I love photography, music, and movies. I’m a foodie and a fan of tea. I’m a dog lover and I love to do drone photography as a hobby.
We are proud to receive funding from individual donors, foundations, and government grants that contribute to our vision for localizing a just food system in Pajaro and Salinas Valleys, on the California Central Coast.
Their support is essential to our work.
Become a Sponsor
Support our mission!
Join us as a sponsor and be part of a movement that cultivates community, sustainability, and growth. Your sponsorship makes a difference.
Voices from the Field
Each word shared here is a seed of gratitude. Thank you for being part of this journey and for helping our roots grow stronger every season.
