Tino Bernadett is well-known for his philanthropic endeavors, particularly as they relate to the health and education of the community.
With that in mind, Tino was glad to donate to ALMA Backyard Farms. ALMA Backyard Farms works to: Reclaim Lives. Repurpose Lives. Reimagine Community. They exist to reclaim lives of formerly incarcerated people, repurpose land into productive urban farms, and reimagine community as a place for people & plants to thrive.
They do this through an Urban Job Training Program, Youth Education Program, and Farm Stand Social Enterprise.
History of Alma Backyard Farms
Alma Backyard Farms was inspired by the voices and ideas shared by juvenile offenders and prisoners eager to transform their lives and communities by "giving back" to the communities they "took from" and were taken away from. For most people experiencing incarceration, there are few opportunities to see and interact with nature and few opportunities to provide nurture to others. Yet few are given the opportunities to learn skills and make that possible.
ALMA has listened to the formerly incarcerated and been inspired by their willingness to reorient their lives as caretakers of community. Recognizing that Los Angeles is a place where no life or space is wasted, ALMA creates multiple opportunities for women and men who were incarcerated to give back to the health and safety of communities by growing food in and for these communities.
Rooted in restorative justice and environmental stewardship, ALMA started in 2013 to implement this project of reclaiming lives, repurposing land and reimagining community. ALMA proposes real solutions to the challenges of California's overcrowded prisons and food injustice in low-income neighborhoods. Recognizing that no lives or land is to be wasted, ALMA creates opportunities for the previously incarcerated to become agents of health, safety and community.
Alma Backyard Farms Recently in the News
In September of 2021, Alma Backyard Farms transformed an empty lot in San Pedro into a backyard farm. Read more about that here.
Want to learn how you can support this worthwhile organization? Click here.
Tino Bernadett’s dedication to the education of physicians who care for the underserved began with his father, a family physician who was at times paid in tamales. He frequently traveled to Chihuahua, Mexico, his home state, to care for the Tarahumara.
An alumnus of the University of California, San Francisco (U.C.S.F.) School of Medicine, he practiced anesthesia in Southern California before transitioning to the practice of pain management. After receiving an M.B.A., he used his leadership skills to start and lead medical groups and an independent practice association as a physician executive.
Bernadett is the vice president of The Molina Foundation. He currently serves on the U.C.S.F. Foundation board of overseers and has served several terms as a commissioner of the Hospitals and Healthcare Delivery Commission of Los Angeles County. He is a board member of the Smithsonian Latino Center and St. Mary Medical Center Foundation. In addition, he is a member of the Osler Society and an active member of the steering committee of the U.C.S.F. PRIME program.
The Bernadett/Chancellor’s endowed scholarship at U.C.S.F. funds medical education for Spanish-speaking medical students. The Bernadetts are also active in transforming medical education through the U.C.S.F. Faustino and Martha Molina Bernadett Presidential Chair for Medical Education investiture.
In 2015, Bernadett was awarded “Top 150 Alumni of U.C.S.F. for the Last 150 years” and the “Humanitarian Award” from the California Conference for Equality and Justice. In 2016, the 4-H National Council awarded him the “Distinguished Alumni Medallion” to recognize his personal commitment to positive youth development and the 4-H mission.