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History of Food Class open to all, begins Jan. 11
Christina Mello received her Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of New Mexico. She is a cultural/applied anthropologist whose research addresses the anthropology of food and social justice issues.
THE HISTORY OF FOOD
- Facilitated by anthropologist, Dr. Christina Mello.
- Free and open to all. Cost underwritten by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Meeting five consecutive Saturday mornings, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Jan. 11, 18, 25, Feb. 1 & 8.
- Location: Garfield Park Lodge, 334 Burton St. SE.
- Please let us know if you plan on attending, oktable1@gmail.com.
Throughout history and today, food production has been a key component of how members of a society organize themselves and express their different cultural norms and identities. This class explores different types of sustenance economies as well as the history of food from before the rise of civilizations.
Topics will include the history of colonialism, the rise of agri-business and how these have destroyed cultural practices. Finally, we will learn about the relationship of cultures with food and the importance of biodiversity for preserving cultural heritage.
Participants are asked to purchase a copy of The Earth Knows My Name: Food, Culture and Sustainability in the Gardens of Ethnic Americans, by Patricia Klindienst (2006, Beacon Press). The class will also include other readings, including selections from Food and Culture: A Reader, edited by Carole Counihan and Penny Esterik (2008, Routledge, second edition).
How Well House Planted an Orchard
Reposted from Grand Rapids Urban Forest Project
By Camilla Voelker
On November 9th the Well House gardeners and 27 others planted a 15-tree orchard of apples and pears on the property of one of the newest additions to the Well House homes and gardens, 239 Sycamore SE.
WELL HOUSE IS A NEIGHBORHOOD NON-PROFIT nested in the southeast side of Grand Rapids. South of Wealthy and east of Division, we offer safe and affordable housing to people experiencing homelessness. It is not a shelter, but permanent housing. Currently, we have four houses occupied by people who were living in shelters or on the streets.
Aside from the housing component of Well House, we also grow, prepare, and preserve food primarily for and with our tenants, but also for and with our neighbors and community. With a food justice lens, we are working towards growing as much food as we can in an urban setting and sharing knowledge on preparing and preserving our own food to counter the unhealthy options provided to us. . We believe our current food system inadequately provides healthy, nutritious food options for people, especially those in our neighborhood. So working with the folks who are most marginalized by our current food system is important to us in creating change.
Finding out about the mini grants offered through the Urban Forest Project of Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, which supplies materials, support and trees for reforestation projects within the city, was a natural next step for continuing Well House’s vision for food growing. An Urban Orchard had been envisioned for the 239 Sycamore lot–which we had acquired from the Land Bank of Kent County–and it also hosts a home to be rehabilitated to house families that have been experiencing homelessness.
Expecting about 15 volunteers on this day, we were pleasantly surprised and thankful for the 27 that showed up – quite the opposite turn out than what most volunteer coordinators anticipate! With all of the fabulous volunteers, we managed to prepare the site quite quickly: trash was picked up, sod was dug up and hauled away, and holes were prepared.
Two Citizen Foresters who offered demonstrations on proper planting techniques and fruit tree care guided us into planting, adding fresh soil and mulching in the trees. Another volunteer watered them in, leaving a job well done. And as one volunteer noted, “Many hands make light work.” It surely did; the community support left a tremendous imprint on Well House’s project and spirit. We are so grateful.
2014 OKT Community Calendar
Here’s a sneak preview of our 2014 dates!
Well House 19:1 Campaign: No one needs to be homeless
As a campaign supporter, OKT asks you to join Well House for the 19:1 Campaign kick-off, 5:30 p.m. Monday, November 18 at 600 Cass SE.
Watch the campaign video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sbq9UPbtEU
On any given night in Kent County there is an estimated 1,000 people who are experiencing homelessness. These are people living on the street, sleeping under an overpass or staying in a temporary shelter.
According to the West MI Realtor’s Association, there are roughly 19,000 available housing units in Kent County. These housing units consist of both homes and apartments that are currently not occupied. This means that for every person who is currently experiencing homelessness in Kent County, there are 19 empty housing units they could be sleeping in.
The reality is that no one needs to be homeless, especially not with the housing resources available in this community. The fact is that most people experiencing homelessness have a source of income; they just can’t afford the current market rate for homes and apartments. In addition, this should tell us something about the dysfunctional nature of “the market,” which allows people to suffer the injustice of homelessness.
The 19:1 Campaign is designed to do two things. First, educate people about the housing disparity in Kent County that leaves hundreds of people in a state of homelessness. Second, provide the community with an opportunity to support the Well House Housing First Model.
The Well House Housing First Model provides people with low-cost housing opportunities to people currently experiencing homelessness. Well House operates on a housing first, tenet-centered approach, which recognizes that every person’s need is different. However, if you can first provide people with low-cost housing, you give them an opportunity to have a safe place to live and the necessary support to address any personal issues they may need to.
Support this campaign!
• Attend one or more educational opportunities (Beginning Nov. 18)
• Endorse the campaign formally. If your organization or group supports this campaign, post it here or send it to us at contact@wellhousegr.org
• Post and share campaign materials. Call Well House at (616) 245-3910 or stop by the Well House office at 600 Cass SE.
• Donate to Well House – wellhousegr.com/donate.Well House plans to raise $25,000 between November 18 and the end of 2013. The money Well House raises will be used to finish rehabilitating a boarded up house that will be used to provide more affordable housing opportunities to people currently experiencing homelessness.
Winona LaDuke: Food Sovereignty and Environmental Justice tonight at Aquinas College.
Don’t miss this fabulous opportunity!
Free panel discussion Monday: Reconsidering the War on Drugs
A discussion on the state of drug policy and how it affects you, 7 p.m. Monday, November 11 at UICA, 2 West Fulton, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503. Sponsored by the ACLU of Michigan.The Western Branch of the ACLU of Michigan is working to protect the public by advocating more reasonable drug policies.
There are 2.3 million people behind bars in the USA — triple the number of prisoners in 1987 — and 25 percent of those incarcerated are locked up for drug offenses.This war has become a war on people, specifically Black people. Let’s look at alternatives to incarceration and address the problem of drug abuse and misuse. This event is free and open to the public.
Panelists Include:
- Heather Garretson, J.D., Associate Professor Thomas M. Cooley, School of Law
- Carl S. Taylor, PhD, Professor, Department of Sociology, Michigan State University
- Hon. Patrick Bowler, Retired Judge/Consultant, MADCP – Michigan Association of Drug Court Professional State Judicial Outreach Liaison
Join us Saturday! Cook, Eat & Talk and first food justice class
Cook, Eat & Talk: Rose’s Delights baker demos pumpkin bread and healthy desserts. 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. Saturday Nov. 9 at Sherman Street Church, 1000 Sherman St. SE.
Free five-week class: Food Politics and the Food Justice Movement: Moving Forward, 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays beginning Nov. 9 at Garfield Park Lodge, 334 Burton St. SE
Our Kitchen Table invites you to join us for this five week class that investigates the current food system and food policy, looks at food justice responses around the country and discusses what a food justice and food sovereignty movement in West Michigan could look like. This is the third time that OKT has engaged Jeff Smith of the Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy to teach the class. Whether you are a professional actively involved in local efforts to eliminate hunger and undernutrition or a lay person who wants to know what you can do to increase your neighborhood’s access to healthy foods, this class will open your eyes to how the industrial food complex works and how you can challenge it.
As a primary source for the class, participants will be reading the book “Food Justice: Food, Health and the Environment,” by Robert Gottlieb and Anupama Joshi. You can buy the book on Amazon.com.
Don’t miss the last Cook, Eat & Talk of 2013
Sat. Nov. 9, 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Sherman St. Church, 1000 Sherman St. SE, GR.
Join us for a fun informative time as baker and Southeast Area Farmers’ Market Vendor, Rose of Rose’s Delights, demonstrates how to bake pumpkin bread and other healthy desserts.
Here are photos from the October’s Plant, Cook and Eat. OKT Garden Coach Kelsey Hakeem taught participants all about garlic and sun chokes (Jerusalem artichokes).
Prepare & plant a fruit orchard with Well House
Reposted from Grand Rapids Urban Forest Project
SATURDAY|NOVEMBER 9, 2013|1:00 PM-4:00 PM|
Well House Garden 239 Sycamore SE, Grand Rapids 49503
Well House will be preparing a new lot for an urban orchard and mushroom beds for community education and use. Friends of Grand Rapids Parks has provided a mini-grant to support the development of an community orchard within their neighborhood. Friends and Well House are asking for interested volunteers to lend a hand, join a community, and have a great time.
Asking volunteers to come when they can and stay as long as they’d like. Help us prep the site, plant the trees and spread mulch! If you’d like to be involved please contact Camilla, Well House Urban Gardener, at CAMILLA@WELLHOUSEGR.ORG or616.245.3910 or sign up at the VOLUNTEER CENTER.
Our Kitchen Table 