This feature is a deep dive into an inspiring story of community impact. At DeepNet, we couldn't be more excited to work with clients like the Ceres Project who are making a profound difference. Our commitment is to empower them with a robust IT services to match their ambitious growth plans.
I recently had the privilege of interviewing Deborah Ramelli, a key member of the team that champions health, empowers families, and nurtures youth through the promotion of organic food and sustainable farming. Starting as a volunteer in 2010 while pregnant with her son, Deborah found a mission that resonated deeply with her values. Starting in a part-time role when the project was in its infancy, she rapidly became invaluable. Over the years, her role within the project has evolved, leading her to head the merged communications and development department today.
Deborah speaks passionately about the project's beneficiaries, emphasizing that they are individuals with unique needs and challenges. Last year, the project served almost 203,000 meals to around 1,600 clients, most of whom were grappling with severe health issues and financial difficulties. The project’s approach to health is holistic, seeing food as not just nutrition but also a form of care.
A standout aspect of the project is its youth development program, which trains teenagers as primary chefs and gardeners, imparting them with invaluable life skills. These young volunteers play an essential role in meal preparation and gardening, contributing significantly to the project and their communities.
Their meals aren't just for the person who's ill - they're for the entire family. The project recognizes the importance of family meals during stressful times of illness, aiming to provide an experience of eating healthy, nutritious meals. They hope to prove that this is not just food for sick people, but food that can help keep people healthy.
Promoting healthy eating for entire families is one of the project's key goals. By providing meals for all family members, they support long-term dietary changes. They hope to normalize the consumption of healthy, nutritious meals, reinforcing the benefits of these foods for everyone's wellness.
The project has high aspirations. Over the past eleven years, they've trained other communities to replicate their model. Today, they have affiliate partners using their model across the US and even in Denmark. The impact of the Ceres Project is felt far beyond its original community, fulfilling their vision of promoting health and sustainable farming on a large scale. As our conversation continued, Deborah explained how the Ceres Project has successfully trained and supported 13 communities. They have nine fully operational projects following their model, with several groups independently reproducing their work. Their commitment to scale extends to policy and advocacy, acknowledging the immense health crisis in the US, and dedicated to showcasing the impact of proper nutrition on health outcomes.
When discussing the potential of the Ceres Project's model for businesses, Deborah agreed that companies could reap the benefits of prioritizing their employees' nutritional needs. She highlighted a few firms experimenting with this concept, offering their employees high-quality meals in lieu of typical office snacks.
The project recently received a $6 million grant from the California government for a statewide pilot project aimed at reducing hospital readmissions for low-income individuals insured through the state's Medicare program. Impressed by the pilot's success, California decided to cover medically tailored meals through their Medicare program, improving the lives of many vulnerable Californians.
Towards the end of our interview, Deborah discussed the project's growth. The demand for their services surged during COVID, jumping from 79,000 meals a year in 2019 to nearly 203,000 the following year. This push led them to purchase new land and plan a facility to quadruple their meal production. The new location in Roseland, Santa Rosa, will enable the Ceres Project to extend its reach into a vibrant and diverse area with some of the lowest health outcomes. They also plan to expand their youth program, investing upstream in health. As I wrapped up my interview with Deborah, it was clear that the future promises significant growth and influence for the Ceres Project.
