Food & Garden Team - What We're Doing and How to Get Involved
OPDX Food Team
Hey everyone! You're receiving this email because you either requested more information, joined
the mailing list on our blog (opdxfoodteam.wordpress.com), are already
signed up to our Google group, or have volunteered or supported us in the past. We’ve had
an upsurge in interest from folks wanting to volunteer with Food & Garden
Team in various capacities, so we felt it would be helpful to give a brief overview of our
current projects, ongoing actions, and ways that anyone can plug in to what we’ve
got going on.
First, we're asking that all who want to stay updated with Food & Garden team into the future please reply with your preferred method of communication
- email, text, Google group, or Facebook. We're trying to cut down on
posting in places that we don't need to, and we also want to improve our
communication and make it easier for everyone to stay updated and get
involved. If you don't want to receive any more emails, please let us
know. If you no longer want to be on the Google group, you are able to
unsubscribe at any time.
Many of you are
already at least somewhat familiar with what we do, but we'd like to
provide an "introduction" to all of our current actions for those who
want to help out but aren't aware of the diversity of ways in which we
currently volunteer. The Food & Garden Team has roughly three main
projects that are ongoing:
Occu-Share Garden Network: As many of you already know, we're overseeing a network of 13 gardens at various residences and a couple of community garden spaces throughout the city of Portland. Many of these gardens are brand new and just beginning to produce. All of what we grow here is currently going into the meals that we serve at various Occupy-related actions and events and community feedings, and we also allow volunteers to take have a share of the day's harvest. Once the gardens are producing more, we hope to offer free produce to more Occupiers and the greater Portland community, especially focusing on communities where food insecurity is most extreme. Additionally, we have offered a couple of garden workshops in conjunction with work parties, and desire to do this more in the future.
Ways to plug in: Whether
you are skilled or just beginning, we welcome all volunteers to join us
for our work parties. Bring tools if you're able, but it's not
necessary. If you do have gardening skills and want to host a workshop
at one of our garden plots, we welcome your knowledge and encourage you
to come share it! Also, we can always use donations in the form of gardening and irrigation equipment, plant starts, and seeds.
When It Happens: Our work parties tend to happen every weekend, often on Saturday but sometimes on Saturday and Sunday. Due
to the somewhat unpredictable nature of gardening, we usually don't
plan work parties until a few days before they happen, a week at the
most. We also do not give out work party locations unless someone
calls, texts, emails, or Facebook messages us directly requesting that
information.
Community Feedings:
We serve free food at many Occupy and Occupy-related actions and
events, such as the recent Keep Nestle Out of the Gorge rally and our
soup kitchen outside of Chase Bank in support of the weekly bank
actions. In this function, we are doing similar work to Food Not Bombs,
and indeed, we have collaborated with FNB on feedings in the past and
will continue to do so. One main difference is that, in addition to
soon having a set day that we will collaborate with Marjorie from Food Not
Bombs for the City Hall feeding, we also do sporadic feedings according
to who in the Occupy community has put in a food request for their
specific action.
Ways to plug in: We
would love help cooking or serving for either the city hall feeding
(which will be either Tuesday or Wednesday) or an Occupy event. We
typically cook in our own kitchens, but we do have use of a kitchen at
St. David of Wales in SE Portland on Wednesdays, and possibly other days
of the week. We have ample access to dried beans, rice, and pasta, and
as produce becomes more bountiful from our gardens, we hope to cut down
on our need for outside purchases and donations of fruits and
vegetables. We also welcome food donations, but we ask that, if possible, donations be organic and GMO-free.
When it happens:
The city hall feeding is currently on Tuesdays, but may be moved to
Wednesday. Most feedings do not have a set day or time, but are usually
announced two or more weeks in advance.
Direct Action: On Monday, July 2nd from 5 PM to 7 PM at the Occupy office (St. Francis Church, 311 SE 12th) , we'll be having a discussion on creating and applying our own GMO warning labels for retail food products. Come help us design one or more beautiful shelf labels and discuss possible actions!
In addition to what's
listed above, if you are at all web-savvy and interested in
moderating/adding content to our Facebook page or blog, we would love
some help on this front.
Thank you for taking the time to read this! We look forward to hearing from you and hopefully seeing you in the garden!
Love and Soilidarity,
Adam
OPDX Food Team
Sorry all, everything got jumbled in that first post. Here is an easier-to-read version:
Anniken Moe
And for the good work you all do!
I would like to continue with email updates, please.
Anniken
What's Your Purpose On the Planet?
www.whatsyourpop.com
