Our Mission
Empowering and educating communities to take control of their food supply, by providing nutritional equity and sustainability through eco-friendly agricultural solutions.
Our Vision
Facilitate a global change in perspective, where individuals and communities partner to provide a sustainable, nutritious, and environmentally friendly solution to food production and distribution inequities. Through our partnerships with various agencies, including the Veterans’ Administration, the USDA, state and local government, schools and universities, and retail businesses, The Terrace Foundation is providing future generations with the building blocks for a foundation of social responsibility and insuring a healthy and hunger-free society.
Our Values
- Everyone deserves equal access to healthy eating options, and freedom from food insecurity.
- All individuals should be empowered and able to grow their own food
- Displaced Veterans and the disenfranchised deserve an opportunity to thrive
- Communities can provide healthy options, especially in food deserts
- Educating children on urban farming is a step toward future food sustainability and nutritional excellence.
- Locally grown food is nutritionally superior to inorganic, flash-frozen and shipped foods.
- Urban and rural communities both stand to benefit from self-reliant, self-sustaining, easy to manage, nutritional food production.
Our Programs
The Terrace Foundation Urban Farm
We operate 3 farming systems on Pilgrim Terrace Cooperative Homes property. These include:
- Organic Soil Farm: We focus on soil reclamation and regeneration, employing organic and sustainable practices to enhance the fertility and health of the soil. This ensures the production of nutrient-rich crops for the residents, along with the members of our Community Supported Agriculture Program.
- Micro Green Greenhouse: We grow micro greens without soil, maximizing space and resources to provide a diverse range of fresh produce to the community, along with reducing water consumption. Micro Greens are over 9-40x more nutrient-dense than their mature counterparts. Click here to learn more about our micro greens.
- Aeroponic Tower Farm: By embracing aeroponic technology, we grow crops consistently and efficiently, using less water and space than traditional farming methods, making fresh and nutritious produce more accessible to the residents, along with restaurants including Birnam Wood Golf Club, Cafe La Fonda, and Jack’s Bagels.
Top Right: Aeroponic Produce
Bottom: Organic Soil Produce
Education & Outreach
The Terrace Foundation has a history of educating the Santa Barbara Community through our own curriculum and our collaborations with schools, health programs, and the City of Santa Barbara. Our curriculum is geared towards educating elementary through high school students on nutritional and farming values.
Produce Donations
We donate as much produce as we can (free of charge) to the other nonprofit operating on-property, Pilgrim Terrace Cooperative Homes, so we can healthily sustain every senior and disabled resident at Pilgrim Terrace Homes, the independent living senior community located at 649 Pilgrim Terrace Drive.
We also donate to local nonprofits, such as The Unity Shoppe and Veggie Rescue.
Our Projects
Community Tower Farms
The Community Farm Project (CFP) is the result of a need to address food insecurities in high-density, populated areas where access to fresh produce is limited by urban sprawl and reduced presence of community markets. These “food deserts” are defined as areas with limited access to supermarkets, supercenters, grocery stores, or other sources of healthy and affordable food making it harder for some people to eat a healthy diet in this country.
Additionally, in many areas that have access to grocery stores selling produce, the produce is being shipped in from miles away, leading to a need for refrigeration/freezing, and/or the use of preservatives/GMOs. The Community Farm Solution offers access to fresh produce that is grown on the spot using no pesticides.
Farms4Heroes
The Farms4Heroes project assists veterans suffering from displacement after serving in the armed forces (PTSD, homelessness, physical wounds), by giving them a “call to service”. The program gives these displaced veterans an opportunity to become tower farmers, reaping the benefits of not only providing an additional source of healthy food in the community food supply, but also the financial rewards and self-reliance that comes from farm management.
Leadership
John Jeffries
John Jeffries is the Chairman/Founder and visionary of The Terrace Foundation where John leads, develops and creates programs to benefit our seniors, persons with disabilities and families of low income throughout Santa Barbara County.
John is personally responsible for acquiring over 10 Million dollars for the benefit of the general public through grants and the negotiated sale of Pilgrim Terrace Homes here in Santa Barbara, California.
John was a Certified Management Agent for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for over 20 years and supervised over 30 properties from San Diego to San Francisco and as far east as Denver, Colorado, while in the employment of the second largest management firm on the west coast.
Prior to becoming a Certified Management Agent for HUD, John worked to develop humanitarian relief programs in Africa, the Philippines and the USA through various government agencies and economic engineers to meet the guidelines of recovery and repatriation of stolen US assets from over 134 accounts worldwide.
John was a vocalist for many years and enjoyed working with Gold Star Studios, Capital Records, Roberta Lynn, Summer of 42 Orchestra, Bobby Helms, Merle Haggard and performed in many venues in Nevada, Texas, Mississippi, and Japan. John owned NASHVILLE MOON PRODUCTIONS in Las Vegas, Nevada.
John has been married to Teresa Jeffries for 28 years and they have 5 adult children, 14 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.
Teresa Jeffries
Teresa has been a member of the Pilgrim Terrace Team for 13 yrs. She held the position of our A.P. Secretary, Property Coordinator, worked with the Board of Directors for meeting preparations and was instrumental in all Social Activities. As the Property Coordinator Teresa oversaw all maintenance, HUD REAC Inspections and Scheduling of work orders. She has owned her own business and has two adult children here in Santa Barbara, both attended Bishop Diego H.S.
Louis Alvaro
Louis Alvaro has worked as the Operational Manager of the Terrace Foundation for 3 years. He oversees and supervises all staff operations, manages scheduling, and assists with Human Resource matters. He ensures a proper flow of everyday operations in the kitchen, transportation services, and The Farm. Louis aids with tasks around each of these fields, whether that’s making sure proper kitchen health codes are met, delivering produce and micro greens, and overseeing maintenance of the vehicle.
Louis has over 30 years of extensive management experience in the hospitality industry, including working with the elderly. His life experience and values heavily align with the Terrace Foundation’s dedication to serving people less fortunate to achieve health through nutritional food options.