As tribal elders enter Pala's administration building for lunch, they exchange greetings and eagerly anticipate their favorite dish: freshly prepared taco salad. One woman grasps a puzzle, quietly approaching two others who quickly dig into the pieces. Laughter rings out among a group of men. Each weekday this group of 20 seniors, many of whom live alone, gather together at folding tables for a hot meal and conversation.
Kitchen supervisor Ray St. Charles works tirelessly at this hub of health and community. "We love seeing our seniors get out of the house. This is a way to see them busy, feed them a hot, healthy meal, and know we're taking care of them," he says. The kitchen staff also prepares over 200 meals daily which they deliver to homebound Pala seniors and four other North County tribes.
And soon, more fresh food will be growing here on the reservation. The tribe is partnering with North County nonprofit Ecolife Conservation to construct a state-of-the-art aquaponics system. The unit, called the MARK—or Modular Aquaponics Response Kit— operates entirely off-grid using solar panels, battery storage, and a rainwater collection system.
Inspired by the need to address challenges of disrupted food supply chains during the pandemic shutdown, the MARK's powers include the ability to grow more than 1,600 plants at a time, mostly leafy greens, all while using 90 percent less water and land than traditional in-ground growing, explains Connor Leone, Ecolife's sustainable agriculture program director.
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