Long-time OKT collaborative partner, Jeff Smith, will be supporting OKT’s policy work with a series of “Food Policy for Food Justice” hand-outs. The first provides information on the Farm Bill. For a one-color version suitable for printing, download the .pdf, Food Policy for Food Justice THE FARM BILL .
This gallery contains 12 photos.
by John Wiegand (jwiegand08) on Tuesday Apr 22nd, 2014 11:41am in NEWS
Listen to the audio interview here:
https://soundcloud.com/john-wiegand/laura-casaletto-urban-foraging
As soon as Laura Casaletto planted popcorn seeds in the backyard of her family’s urban home, her love for natural foods was born. Despite her efforts, she was awarded a crumby crop of corn- but the passion stuck. Now, Laura enjoys scouring the city’s natural areas for edible fare in an activity known as “urban foraging.”
Casaletto is an Urban Forester at Our Kitchen Table (OKT), a nonprofit organization focusing on food and social justice for low income neighborhoods. She often leads walks through Grand Rapids parks and works to educate the community on the benefits of eating directly from nature. Casaletto sees urban foraging as part of a larger picture of nutrition.
“A hundred years ago, a slice a bread was ten times as nutritious as it is now,” she says. “The way that we grow the food now doesn’t allow plants to pull up the trace minerals that they used to. When you forage this stuff it is nutritious. The plants are fighting the same germs that you are fighting and it strengthens your immune system.”
OKT will host an edible plant walk at Garfield Park on April 22, to coincide with Earth Day. The walk is free and open to the public.
Tuesday April 22, 6 – 7:30 p.m.
OKT has hired Dorothy Griswold as the new Market Manager for the Southeast Area Farmers Market. Dorothy has been working in the local food movement in Grand Rapids for 11 years. She actually helped to found the Southeast Area Farmers’ Market when it first opened.
Dorothy grew up near the Chesapeake Bay in Baltimore, Maryland. On Saturdays and Sundays, her family shopped farm stands to get produce for the week. “I never feel more at home, at peace or happy, than I do when I walk through the stalls of farmers markets,” she says. “I hope SEAFM can become just this kind of experience for the neighbors it serves.”
During a “farm market pilgrimage” to New York City, Dorothy explored the city’s Greenmarkets. She rode the subway for a day to visit the various markets and meet market managers, including one that operated at the World Trade Center site on September 11, 2001.
Dorothy Griswold
Dorothy has had a vegetable garden at every place she’s lived. She joined Trillium Haven Farm in its first year as a working shareholder and intern. “I love to cook, especially ethnic dishes. I love learning about other cultures through their food,” she says. “I think fresh locally grown produce is beautiful and think photos of food should be on billboards and everywhere else you can think of!”
Preregister today!
Grand Valley State University’s College of Education is excited to offer two pilot courses in a potential* (see below) graduate certificate program in Place-Based Education for Environmental Stewardship and Community Engagement. Through an interconnected sequence of four courses, the certificate program will prepare learners to:
The program will be designed for anyone working within K-12 educational settings as well as individuals outside of the field of formal education who have an interest in issues related to sustainability, community problem-solving, and community well-being. The certificate program can be completed within 12 months and all courses will be held on Grand Valley State University’s Pew campus in downtown Grand Rapids. Please see the attached flyer for descriptions and meeting times for the first two pilot courses in the anticipated certificate sequence. Enrollment is currently open and the first course in the program begins the week of May 5, 2014.
This potential certificate program will also be available to undergraduate students. Interested GVSU undergraduates taking graduate courses through the dual-credit process may be admitted to a graduate certificate program. The credits for these courses may by applied either as undergraduate elective credit or toward completion of the graduate certificate. However, an undergraduate student may NOT be awarded a graduate certificate until they have been awarded a baccalaureate degree. Non-GVSU students without a bachelor’s degree will be considered for the program on an individual basis.
*We anticipate the certificate program will be approved and officially established through the University curriculum process by Spring, 2015. In the event that the program does not move from “pilot” to permanent status, credits earned can be applied as graduate or undergraduate electives depending upon the level of the student.
All interested individuals can apply to Grand Valley State University and register for courses with graduate non-degree-seeking status. Please visit https://www.gvsu.edu/admissions/graduate/apply-to-grand-valley-19.htm for further information about applying to Grand Valley State University with graduate non-degree-seeking-status and registering for courses.
All questions and inquiries about the program can be directed to:
Dr. Kevin Holohan
Grand Valley State University
College of Education
489C Richard M. DeVos Center
616.331.6229
holohank@gvsu.edu
Would you like to take a look at the work we did in 2013?
Click here to view the 2013 OKT Annual Report.
Eco-chef, food justice activist and author, Bryant Terry will meet with community members for dialogue on food justice and a cooking demo from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday April 23 at LINC Gallery, 341 Hall St. SE in Grand Rapids. The appearance debuts Our Kitchen Table’s 2014 series, Women of Color Convenings. Terry’s stop in Grand Rapids marks the release of his new cookbook, Afro-Vegan, as part of Calvin College’s Wake-up Weekend.
Lila Cabbil, president emeritus, Rosa Parks Institute, will facilitate the dialogue. Seating is limited. Preregistration required by contacting OKTable1@gmail.com or 616-206-3641. This is Terry’s second appearance at an in-neighborhood, Our Kitchen Table event. He hosted a community dialogue on Food Justice with Ms. Cabbil here in January, 2012.
Terry’s other books are The Inspired Vegan, Grub and Vegan Soul Kitchen. He hosts his own program, “Urban Organic,” and has appeared on the Sundance Channel’s original TV series “Big Ideas for a Small Planet,” the BET series “My Two Cents” and on PBS’ “Nourish: Food + Community” and “The Endless Feast.”
According to his website, http://www.Bryant-Terry.com, “For more than a decade Bryant has worked to build a more just and sustainable food system, and cooking has been an important tool for illuminating the intersections of poverty, structural racism and food insecurity. He uses the sensual pleasures of the table to shift people’s attitudes, habits and politics in effort to ensure that everyone in this country of abundance has access to healthful food.”
Reposted from Urban Forest Project
It’s mostly spring, which means its time to plant trees. This year, Friends of Grand Rapids Parks has a few great tree plantings in which you can get involved. Slap on some old clothes, bring some water and come get dirty!
Dickinson Park Tree Planting
April 12 from 9a to 1p
Roosevelt Park Tree Planting
April 26 from 9a to 1p
Plaster Creek Family Park Tree Planting
May 15 from 9a to 1p
If you are interested in attending one of these tree planting opportunities, please register at the volunteer center or contact the Urban Forest Project, 616 389 4687 or e-mail.
Reposed from The Rapidian
Our Kitchen Table 