Night of the Living Fed with the ACCFB

Dozens of people gave up their evening to help sort food at the Alameda County Community Food Bank. In keeping with the season the ACCFB encouraged people to come in costume. As always, they took good care of their volunteers. So we wouldn't go hungry while working to help make sure others don't go hungry, the Grilled Cheez Guy provided tasty grilled cheese sandwiches, soup, pickles and other tasty food. And because the Giants were playing in game 2 of the World Series, they projected the game on the wall of the warehouse so we could keep tabs on the game while we worked.

I've written about volunteering with the ACCFB before. It's a hella easy, hella fun way to help others in a very real way. You can also donate money (for every $1 donated, the ACCFB is able to buy $4 worth of food), hold a food drive, or even a virtual food drive. Remember: they serve 1 in 6 people in Alameda County who otherwise wouldn't get enough to eat, and a large percentage of those are children and the elderly.

More pictures from tonight's ACCFB event:

OBUGS garden and art tour

Lafayette School Garden

Saturday I took a break from work and went on the OBUGS annual garden bike tour. OBUGS is Oakland Based Urban Gardens, and works to build healthier communities by educating kids about nutrition and food, and about gardening in the process. It was the fourth annual tour, but I hadn't been on one before. There was a great turnout. I don't know the exact numbers, but I saw a lot of bikes. Mayor Quan and her husband were there, too.

The tour started at the OBUGS community garden at Lafayette Elementary School, where OBUGS was founded in 1998. This was also the best place to look at one of the gardens, as there were students and volunteers on hand to guide people around and answer questions. After that, people were organized into groups of about 10, with two guides, one to lead and one to be the 'sweeper'.

at Bruce Beasley's studio

The bike tour itself was very pleasant. (Compared with riding in the hills, it was super easy, too. I switched off the electric assist, but still found myself wanting to go faster than the group.) It was about 4 miles total, but with frequent stops to see historic houses, various community gardens, and other sites of interest (like the Cypress Memorial Park) around West Oakland. One of the stops was at City Slicker Farms, which I've blogged about before. It looks like they're doing well, and it was nice to see the chicken coop (which I did a little work on) in use. One of the main art stops was Bruce Beasley's studio.

The tour ended at Lowell Park, and it was time to party! There was yummy food provided by Picante, cold drinks, and a raffle with some cool prizes. People hung out and chatted and then it was time to watch Turf Feinz dance. If you're not familiar with them, check out my Oakland-y goodness post from last year. They are simply amazing to watch.



See more pictures here:

OBUGS garden tour

eat local for food justice

Phat Beets produce

I'm a fan of Oakland Grown, which celebrates Oakland businesses and artists, and encourages people to spend their money locally. In part because money spent locally tends to stay local, stimulating Oakland's economy and creating jobs. I'm also a big fan of urban farming, particularly as it relates to food justice. City Slicker Farms is one great example.

Another reason to grow food and eat locally is to have a better idea of where your food comes from and what's in it and on it. Would you prefer highly processed food with unpronounceable ingredients, grown by an agri-corp, shipped across the country? or fresh, locally-grown fruits, vegetables and goods, grown and produced by family farms? Shouldn't everyone have access to good food? Some people deal with this by shopping at one of the Oakland farmers markets, or by growing some of their own food.

Mandela Foods Cooperative recently won the Ripple Effect Award at the Oakland Indie Awards, demonstrating both these things. Based in West Oakland, they provide healthy food grown on family farms, as well as nutrition information. They source and hire locally, which has a ripple effect by keeping money and jobs local. And they provide healthy food in an area without many grocery stores.

But what if you don't live in West Oakland? Or you can't get to a farmers market as often as you'd like? Another option is a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) produce box, which is like having items hand-picked from a farmers market and delivered to your neighborhood. An Oakland CSA I learned about recently is Phat Beets Produce, based in North Oakland's Bushrod neighborhood. Besides getting food from family farms to Oakland residents, they also have a local garden, teach kids about food and farming, and sell items at local farmers markets.

blog pulse: urban farming

City Slicker Farms

If you've been reading Our Oakland for any time, you'll know I'm a big fan of urban farming. We haven't done much yet here, besides some potatoes grown in a trash can and compost, but there's lots I'd like to do after I'm done with major home improvements. Bees for honey, chickens for eggs, and of course a proper vegetable garden. It's not so much about saving money, but having more control of where are food comes from and what goes into it.

Central Oakland has a host of farmer's markets to shop at, but East Oakland and West Oakland not so much. And West Oakland has no large supermarkets, just a plethora of corner stores. So for much of Oakland's population, urban farming is about food security. That's where groups like City Slicker Farms come in. They grow vegetables in West Oakland for West Oakland residents. Right now it's fairly small, but they're expanding, both on their own lots, and in people's 'backyard gardens'. And they plan to have chickens for eggs soon.

The great thing is that it can be expanded much further. UrbanFood.org recently release a report created with the support of City Slicker Farms and HOPE Collaborative that says that Oakland has 1,200 acres of public land that could be used to provide fresh vegetables for its residents. Obviously the soil in many area would need to be tested for contaminants first, but that's still a huge amount of acreage that could provide fresh, healthy food. And it's not just about physical health; eating right helps young minds grow and learn better, too. The report is long, but worth checking out.

Shoutout to The Ethicurean where I saw it first. But the report has gotten wider attention and is written up on TreeHugger, too.

Community Feast at St. Paul's

St. Paul's Episcopal Church 2nd Annual Community Feast
"Nourishing One Another In Abundance"

An evening of conversation about food justice, sustainability, and how we can help to nourish ourselves and others in prosperous and troubled times. We will talk with neighbors who have found ways to share the abundance of what we have---even when we don't know how much that is. Come learn how to make more of your gifts, to be self-sustaining, and in turn to help feed those in need.

The dinner will include a home-cooked meal, wine, and speakers from City Slicker Farms, Peoples Grocery, St. Mary's and others. Cost of the event is $20. To reserve a seat or a table, email rsvp@stpaulsoakland.org.

All proceeds support St. Paul's community service projects, City Slicker Farms & People's Grocery.

Event Info
DATE: Saturday, September 26
TIME: 6 to 8 p.m.
LOCATION: 114 Montecito Avenue, Oakland, CA
COST: $20
RESERVE YOUR SPACE: rsvp@stpaulsoakland.org (but you can also apparently walk in)

For more information about the event, visit our website at http://www.stpaulsoakland.org.

City Slicker Farms

City Slicker Farms

West Oakland is blessed with a unique resource, City Slicker Farms. While much of Oakland has an array of supermarkets and farmers markets to get good produce from, West Oakland is largely left with small corner markets and liquor stores. That's where City Slicker Farms comes in. They grow fresh, affordable produce for West Oakland residents.

They also work to empower residents to understand the connection between ecology, environment, and food, and become more self-sufficient by growing their own food. They currently sell fruits, vegetables and honey to West Oakland residents. The last round of Americorps with Habitat for Humanity East Bay worked in their spare time and built a chicken coop, so eggs will eventually be available, too.

awesome looking tomatoes

City Slicker Farms