Farm2People

Good Morning! We're excited to share some big news. We have received our very first foundational grant thanks to the Butterfly Equity Foundation! The Butterfly Equity Foundation’s mission is to "improve the health and well-being of all people by supporting greater access to nutritious food." Obviously, we are over the (recently full, worm) moon to be mission-aligned. As you know, our non-profit is still in early stages. We are not yet one full year grown. And so, this i...ncredible display of support and faith is truly energizing. Plus, in practical terms, it means that we can sustain our double effort to support local growers and fight hunger in LA. Because of our commitment to pay regenerative-practicing, small- and mid-sized farms a fair market price for their produce, finding funding is very important. We make the impact that real dollars allow us to make. We are 100% volunteer run, so 100% of funds raised go towards our mission. We hope you will join us in celebrating this milestone occasion! And if you dig what we're into, please spread the word. AND if you are a local business looking to positively impact your community, please consider becoming a Farm2People partner today! All donations are tax deductible. photo credit: @missinlovers on Pexels

It is so clear and comes as no surprise that COVID-19 has highlighted many of the problems we face as a society, including those around worker’s rights. Today, on the last day of Farmworker Awareness Week and on César Chávez Day (his birthday!), the least we can do is learn about this man’s life of servitude and the work he has done for farm worker’s rights and beyond. Read more about César and his team of social justice and labor activists in our journal post (link in bio...). Today we celebrate his influence, the @UFWupdates movement, and above all; human dignity! Photo credits: 1-5 Bettman via Getty Images 2. Arthur Schatz via Getty Images

We’re officially into spring , and If you’re looking for a sign to start composting, THIS IS IT. Composting is basically garden magic you can do all year round, and an amazing way to keep nutrients in the loop and out of landfills. It’s a practice that can be as small as a bin you keep in your kitchen, or a pile in your backyard for your garden. ... For those of us that don’t have yards, there’s even community orgs that PICK UP your food scraps for you to turn into that nutrient gold compost we know & love. Partners like @LACompost, @consciouscleanup & @Compostable.LA are dedicated to cleaning up our food waste problem & creating healthy soils- like we know you are, too! Check out your local drop-off or pick-up possibilities and let’s make some compost today! Photo credit: Elena Weinhardt

Living in California, you’re likely aware that we are home to the production of a majority of the nation’s produce. But did you know that California produces 80% of the WORLD’S almonds!? That’s nuts. *bah-dum-tshh* In honor of almonds and the nearing end of Women’s History Month, let's take a minute to honor Holly King. She’s an innovator of sustainable almond growing practices here in California, and a true steward of land and people. Learn more in our most recent journal article! (Link in bio)

We're glad the The New York Times took the time to explore the full spectrum of the current food movement during COVID-19 and present it in-depth in their recent article "The Activists Working to Remake the Food System." We especially wanted to highlight the need to shift or behavior on how we treat food in this country, and those who work hard to get it to us. They’re committed not only to just securing better meals for everyone, but also to dismantling the very structures that have long exploited both workers and consumers. https://www.nytimes.com//t-m/food-security-activists.html

Let's keep this Women History Month going with the award-winning journalist and educator: Simran Sethi. Simran Sethi is an influential figure in the food and agriculture world. She wrote the book Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love, that relates the loss of agricultural biodiversity and paying homage to the ingredients that give us daily pleasure. She was named 50 Most Influential Global Indians by VOGUE India as well as the environmental messenger ...by Vanity Fair. She now teaches summer classes on food writing and communication of sustainability and food sovereignty. Simran has a penchant for chocolate.She is in fact the creator of The Slow Melt podcast, first of its kind, that focuses on the cultural, economic, and environmental impacts behind chocolate. Photo credit: Cem Ersavci on Orion Magazine

On January 15th, 1929 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Today, we honor the birth and legacy of Dr. King, embracing his exceptional intellect and power, his work towards desegregation, his call for civil rights and civil disobedience, his leadership and more. We have posted in our LINKTREE Dr. King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" which he penned on the 16th of April in 1963 from said jail where he was imprisoned for his nonviolent participation in a... demonstration against segregation. (Let that fact / injustice soak in while considering the current violent actions by and large left unpunished at the capital.) The letter is posted in its fullness, and we hope you will join us in learning about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr in his own words, rigor and complexity. On this day, we hope you join us in the sentiment that today is a DAY ON, not a day off in the struggle for equity and justice. We'll continue our #MLK learning this week, and share how our org is working towards equity and justice through the lens of food. But for now, this day is not about our non-profit. Today is about remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, connecting to his own words and story. We would do well to remember on whose intellectual shoulders all freedom fighters now stand and remember where it is we are all going! Photo Credit: 2. AP Photo Rev. Martin Luther King with his wife Coretta participate in march from Selma to the state capitol in Montgomery, AL., on March 21, 1965

Henry He/Him Role at F2P Logistics and Farm Relations ... ...in his own words Favorite Fruit? Describing this with a single answer, is like favoring one of your own children over another, but if I would have to choose a few, they would be Mango Nectarines, Socal Zebra Tomatoes, and my farmer friend Hugo Munak’s Watermelons Favorite Place? Kuala Lumpur Malaysia , San Sebastián Spain , Kyoto Japan , Oia Greece are some of my favorite places on this planet. But any place that will show and represent itself with the incredible beauty of nature and the artistic respectful ingenuity of humankind will do. Favorite Non-human Earthling? The Wolf. Such beautiful earthlings. Always cool, composed, and aware. And the Octopus . They have incredible observational learning and problem solving ability. They are crafty, and are capable of mastering any situation that's thrown their way. Hobbies? The flora and fauna around us is such an incredible learning ground, in order to be a productive and forward thinking member of our surroundings I immerse myself in the science of Zymology. #takeyourworkhome Even though I have done it only once so far, and with extreme excitement at that, jumping out of planes at high altitudes I can definitely foresee being one of my favorite past time activities. For the times when I need to reset and clear my mind, I love to go to places where I do not yet speak the dialect and the environment smells, feels, and tastes new and adventures. Personal Motto? No task or hurdle is too large to be solved. #itcanbedone Advice You’d Offer the Next Generation? If someone tells you that something can’t be done, or your vision is too big, prove them wrong. If life gives you lemons, but all you can think of is lemonade. Then keep thinking. Read Books, papers, stories and poems. And remember, We are all guests on this gorgeous planet, and in order to keep sharing this beauty, we have to preserve it, so we can evolve. Learn to love and respect your surroundings and fellow earthlings. Tell us MORE? The reconfiguration and optimization of a healthy planet and its inhabitants is our goal.

Hi F2P friends! As we welcome the new year and new friends, we want to take this moment to re-introduce ourselves! At F2P, our mission is to address the problem of food insecurity (from hunger to the instability of the marketplace for growers) and to collaboratively create a more resilient food system! We are a dedicated group of volunteers *100%* with a grassroots approach. Please join our mailing list for updates and check out our Linktree for more resource and educat...ion sharing! And now, some not so pretty updates from the front lines of hunger: @usnews reports that food pantries across the US went from serving 300 (pre-pandemic) to 4,000 (now and rising) per week on average! That's more than **1,200 percent increase**. Which is totally crazy. So hunger is very much still on the rise all over the work. @uscdornslife reports that nearly 1 in 4 LA County residents suffers from #foodinsecurity since the pandemic began. That is why we are out here with our mission to support farmers with a pricepoint that values their labor and inputs fight hunger by donating farm fresh whole produce to food banks and pantries empower communities with nutrition support, not just food support model an end to end solution that centers PEOPLE not profits Photo credit: @joelmuniz_ on Unsplash

Just watched another incredible @HealFoodAlliance webinar and we cannot recommend more. Let's recap "BIPOC Producers: Sowing the Seeds of Liberation" (LINKTREE IN BIO) This webinar was brought to you by talented, radical farmers and political activists:... Ricardo Salvador from @UnionofConcernedScientists Roberto Nutlouis from @BlackMesaWC (Black Mesa Water Coalition) Sonia Galiber from @SoilGeneration Niaz Dorry from @FamilyFarmCoalition (Nat’l) Krysten Aguilar from @LaSemillaFoodCenter These folx are FIRED UP about food justice. In this powerful cross pollination of ideas, each rep discusses social and economical challenges as a result of our current food system and the crucial role that small (especially BIPOC) farms and farmers play in liberating communities from injustice. The same communities that have been under attack or in crisis for generations are leading the movement to reclaim the proper understanding of and relationship with our food and lands. As Niaz Dorry puts it, if we want to see peace in our society we must value those whose hands touch our food. Big change starts small, like implementing washing stations on farms to improve hygiene, or watching a webinar or two on food justice If we continue sharing perspectives, we can inspire COLLECTIVE ACTION, the only way to succeed! Check out the webinar and let's get to sharing!

Dear F2P fam, Legislative advocacy is a powerful tool in California. With 2021 shaping up with the difficulties of a pandemic and political and economic turmoil, one of the quickest ways to fight hunger is becoming trained to lobby for policies that will improve the situation. Sign up with @hungeractionla for virtual advocacy training in Sacramento. It begins Jan. 15, and reviews logistics for the Jan. 19-Jan. 22 January #HungerActionWeek while looking at the anti-hunger ...agenda for the year, as well as provide a review of basic advocacy principals and techniques. Due to the #COVID19 crisis, legislative visits are conducted virtually. Hunger Action LA will be contacting state legislators and educating them on how hunger is impacting the community and what policies are the best solution. This training is a great opportunity to make a difference in someone's life who barely has enough to eat! If you are interested email [email protected] and specify if you want to attend the 10 a.m. or the 3 p.m. event for that day. You can also sign up by visiting the link in our bio! photo credit: Frank Meriño on Pexels