Tired of being asked for money by campaigns...take a little break to help out a fellow blogger, a foodie community and farmers being affected by the floods.
Subscribe to Edible San Francisco today and we’ll donate 100%of your subscription to the Iowa Farm Aid fund (valid 6/19/08 - 07/01/08).
And why should you do this you may ask? Well...
Farmers in Iowa and other midwestern states have been devastated by recent flooding. The following is a dispatch from Wendy Wasserman, publisher of Edible Iowa River Valley.
EIRV is proud to be part of an emerging coalition specifcally dedicated to the plight of the smaller farmers/producers in Iowa who have been hit hard by our severe weather disasters this spring.
We are hearing horrible stories from some of the farmers/ producers we work with who have suffered catastrophic losses. Some have endured significant property, equipment, and crop losses. Some are weeks, if not months, behind in planting because the ground is too wet. Some are totally underwater. We've heard from CSA farmers who have had to suspend their operations, produce farmers who have lost 2-3 plantings of heritage crops, other farmers who can only get in/out of their property by boat, and yet others who have lost barns, greenhouses and crucial equipment to winds, rains and floods. For those who have survived unscathed, we know of several farmers markets that have been washed away or otherwise impacted, thereby preventing producers from getting their goods to market.
In light of this vast disaster, an emerging Iowa based coalition has partnered with Farm Aid to develop an emergency fund specifically for small and independent farmers. Willie Nelson is coming to Iowa this weekend to formally get things going, and FarmAid has also launched an online campaign (click here to donate or subscribe to Edible San Francisco and we'll donate 100% of you subscription to Farm Aid).
If there is one thing I've been reminded of this season, it is that a natural disaster can come anytime and anywhere and wipe out entire networks in a blink. It could happen in any of our communities without rhyme, reason or warning. The producers that we all know and love - the same ones that are the anchors of the local food system - are the most vulnerable to such a catastrophe. Supporting these producers in their most critical time of need is a way we can make our local and regional food systems stronger for the long term.
If you donate by subscribing to Edible San Franciso, not only will you be helping the communities in Iowa, but you'll be enjoying and getting to know an Edible Community. Bruce Cole, publisher of Edible San Francisco, is a long time blogger (formerly of Saute Wednesday) and has branched out in spreading knowledge about sustainability and organic food in publishing Edible San Francisco.
I renewed my subscription. I challenge my fellow Kossacks, I challenge my fellow foodies to support a multitude of communities with a subscription to Edible San Francisco. Know of a fellow foodie? Give a gift subscription. If you don't care about receiving a magazine...I just challenge you to donate to Farm Aid.
But, as The Inadvertent Gardener (in Iowa) puts it....
But most of all, if you’re at a farmers’ market this weekend, stop and take a look around. Be grateful for what’s there. Imagine if it was all gone. Then decide what it’s worth to you and help out these farmers. You never know when the good people of the Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri might just need to return the favor.
Edible Aid. Eat it up.