“The volunteers of the Sierra San Joaquin Area Team (SSJ AREA) welcome you to the Central Valley of California. Our valley is the farming center of California. It’s the richest farmland in the world, producing almost half of the food Americans consume. The mountains near us have hiking trails, lakes, rivers, and ski resorts. Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks are nearby. It is hot in the summer, cold in the winter, and blessed with beautiful weather in the spring and fall.
We get very little rain between the months of May and October, with an average rainfall of 10 inches (25.5 cm). We are between the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles and San Francisco. Ocean and desert are close enough to visit for the day or weekend. Fresno, Stockton, Bakersfield, and Modesto are large cities within our Area Team, with medium-sized cities and small towns making up the rest of the area. Some of our families live in the mountains, others on ranches or farms outside of town, and others in the cities. We are a very diverse area and families represent much of that population.”
– Nancy Howard, AFS Volunteer Chair
Our AFS Team’s website is currently being developed. In the meantime, review the resources below to get involved locally. Contact AFS if you have any questions.