So I've been planning for weeks to participate in this wonderful Feeding America blogathon, when a weird thing happened: The Occupy Movement started, and I found myself in full facilitator mode, helping plan civil disobedience mass actions while helping organize and cook for what has turned into a 24-7 food distribution system for the homeless and hungry on Cleveland, Ohio's Public Square. You see, we've gotten so many food donations that we decided to share it with some of Cleveland's nearly 3,000 homeless people, which, I believe, is one of a few things that we here in Cleveland are doing differently.
Then, I get home later than planned, to find an amazing letter about "World Food Day" (today) and how the Occupy movement is helping to spread awareness about food inequality, food deserts, and corporate greed on a massive scale on the part of Archer-Daniels-Midland, Cargill, Monsanto and Con Agra.
So here's what I want all y'all nightbirds to do:
Reach into your wallet and follow this link below to donate to Feeding America, because they desperately need your help.
Second, keep your wallet out and join the Founders Club of Community Greenhouse Partners, the non-profit sustainable urban farm that I work for that's trying to build a greenhouse in Cleveland's urban core.
Third, read the letter under the fold, follow the links, and find an Occupy group and go help them serve food to the occupiers and the poor in your city. They desperately need your help too.
Feeding America locates food surplus and intercepts it on its way to the trash and distributes it to food banks all over the country. They do not buy most of their food, which is why they can provide meals so efficiently. They collect from vendors, grocery stores, and restaurants all over the country. Plenty of food is out there -- the problem is one of logistics, transportation, and distribution.
Because Feeding America redistributes surplus, they can provide healthy meals cheaply. Ninety five cents on every dollar that you donate here goes to food distribution. Donating to Feeding America is one of the most efficient ways that you can help aid hungry people.
Even $1 will help. Click on the icon above.
If you have the means, please donate to Feeding America by clicking on the box to the right. In addition to supplying food banks all over the country, they help hungry kids through their Backpack Program, Kids Cafe, Summer Food, and School Pantry programs. And this month, Ameriprise Financial will match your donation -- which means that every dollar you donate provides 16 meals to hungry people.
Join us in the fight to reclaim our food democracy: Find an Occupy event in a city near you or create one.
Already Occupy Events are occurring in more than 1,562 cities.
Join the Occupation!
Sunday October 16 is World Food Day - Join an Occupy Event near you! If you're in Washington DC - Join us for the Right2Know March in front of the White House - because you have a Right to Know What's in Your Food!
Dear Timothy D.
There comes a time in a nation’s history when it is incumbent upon its people to rise up against abuses of power and to reclaim their rights as defined by the broader social contract that has enabled our democracy to exist for some 235 years.
In the past month a small band of individuals have done just that. The discontent at the current set of abuses has grown so great that they took to it upon themselves to reclaim our democracy. Thus Occupy Wall Street was born out of a legitimate frustration with the collusion between Big Business and elected officials of the U.S. government, leaving the will and greater good of the 99% out in the cold.
And nowhere is that collusion so great as in food and agricultural production, where four corporations control 84% of beef packing, 66% of pork production and one company (Monsanto) controls more than 93% of soybeans and 80% of corn grown in the U.S.
For the past two weeks while the nation has been transformed by the message of young people standing up against corruption on Wall Street, several hundred individuals have been marching from New York City to Washington DC to help spread the important word about securing mandatory labeling of GMOs - a baxic right that has been denied Americans due to corporate influence on our governmental regulatory system. Tomorrow the Right2Know March will end up at Lafayette Park in front of the White House and we'll be there to join them.
It’s time for Big Business and our elected officials to stand up for the rest of us. This weekend is your chance to show them we mean business.
Click here to tell us you’re ready to be a part of the solution and find an Occupy event near you.
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/...
Last week Food Democracy Now! joined with more than 400 other organizations, including farmers, organic companies, NGOs and faith-based groups in an effort to reclaim the basic right to know what is in our food and how it’s produced by asking the Obama administration to grant mandatory labeling of foods that have been “genetically modified” (GMOs) in high-tech laboratories.
In addition to joining this broad-based coalition, Food Democracy Now! released a never before seen video of then Senator Barack Obama promising to label genetically modified “GMO” foods if elected to the presidency.
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/...
Alarmingly, just this past week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has “written a document supportive of” the commercialization of genetically engineered (GMO) salmon despite the strong reservations of such approval from the scientific community and the opposition of the public. It’s clear, that the Obama administration is tone deaf when it comes to hearing the will of the people on GMO labeling and in taking a precautionary approach in the approval and deregulation process of GMOs.
Here’s what you can do:
1. Sunday, October 16 is World Food Day, in honor of this day we are encouraging Food Democracy Now! members to join with fellow Occupy Events across the country.
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/...
2. If you live in Washington DC or vicinity, join Food Democracy Now! in welcoming the Right2Know March on Sunday October 16 at:
The White House in Lafayette Park, 1600 H Street, NW, Washington, DC. Marchers estimated to arrive at 12:30pm.
Meet and listen to inspiring speakers: Vandana Shiva, MichaeL Funk, Percy & Louise Schmeiser, Robyn O’Brien, Meagan Westgate, Dan Ravicher, Elizabeth Kucinich and more.
Click on the link below to find a map and lineup for Sunday’s events at Lafayette Park.
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/...
3. Can't get to an Occupy Event? Find a World Food Day at Organic Consumers Association:
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/...
Click here to tell us you’re ready to be a part of the solution and find an Occupy event near you. "It’s time to organize and Occupy - I’m in".
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/...
We’ve spoken to farmers, mothers and concerned citizens across the country and they believe that our cause to create a more just and sustainable food system can only be won by joining all efforts to reclaim our democracy.
Now is not the time to sit on the sideline.
It is vital that members of the food and sustainable agricultural movement join with those seeking economic justice, as the injustice and corporate collusion form the foundation of our broken food system in America and globally.
If you can't make it to an Occupy Event this weekend, please take a few moments to follow and promote events near you on Facebook and Twitter. It's time to get the word out and every bit helps!
We are committed to this fight now, more than ever - please join us. Together, our voices will create the future we deserve.
Thanks for being a part of the solution and participating in food democracy,
Dave, Lisa and the Food Democracy Now! Team
Further Reading:
1. World Food Day http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/...
2. Occupy Wall Street: http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/...
3. Occupy Together: http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/...
4. Right2Know March: http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/...
5."FDA Decision Will Lead To First Ever Genetically-Modified Animal For Consumption" Talking Points Memo, October 10, 2011. http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/...
6."How Will You Observe World Food Day 10/16/11?", Organic Consumers Association. http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/...
7. "Declaration of the Occupation of New York City", Occupy Wall Street, NYC General Assembly. http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/...
All times Eastern!
Saturday, Oct 15:
9:00a -- noweasels
12:00p -- teacherken
3:00p -- TheFatLadySings
6:00p -- JayinPortland
9:00p -- blue jersey mom
Owls -- Timroff
Sunday, Oct 16
9:00a -- rb137
12:00p -- JanF
3:00p -- Aji
5:00p -- Patric Juillet
7:00p -- Chacounne
10:00p -- boatsie