Eat the news in Bites: Local Food Community News, January 2021
Every 13th of the month, we’ll recap some of what’s happening in the local food community and how you can get involved. Some of it might make you joyous, some of it might make you pissed, but all of it shows the resilience of Minnesota food folks working toward a future that nourishes all people, all beings, and the entirety of our living planet.
WHAT’S IN THIS EDITION?
Brightside Produce combating Twin Cities food apartheid with fresh produce
NATIFS supporting the next generation from their new Midtown Global Market location
Big River Farms prepares to host online Emerging Farmers Conference
Fun new music from the Land Stewardship Project celebrating the power of soil
Brightside Produce feeds families in need
Brightside Produce believes that everyone deserves access to fresh, healthy foods. Through their innovative programs, Brightside is nourishing Twin Cities neighborhoods that experience high levels of food insecurity. Their corner store program stocks urban Twin Cities convenience stores with affordable fruits and vegetables, and their home delivery program provides weekly deliveries of fresh produce directly to Twin Cities doorsteps. Recognizing the additional hardships this past year brought, Brightside launched a new “Pay What You Can” delivery program in 2020 that provides families experiencing financial need with fresh produce. Demand for the program is high, and Brightside Produce hopes to expand capacity in 2021.
What You Can Do
The “Pay What You Can” initiative relies directly on weekly donation subscriptions from supporters! You can choose a weekly donation amount of $3, $6, or $12. Sign up to donate here.
Support Brightside’s food access work by signing up for weekly produce delivery! More information and sign up can be found here.
Stay up to date on all of Brightside Produce’s work by signing up for their newsletter and following them on Facebook and Instagram @brightsideproducempls.
NATIFS supports youth from new Indigenous Food Lab
North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS), led by The Sioux Chef, is a nonprofit dedicated to reestablishing native foodways. In August of 2020, NATIFS made an exciting move--they obtained a space for their Indigenous Food Lab in the Midtown Global Market! The Indigenous Food Lab is an all-encompassing training center that will house a training kitchen, restaurant, education studio, and market for indigenous produced products. Even during this time of limited gathering, the Food Lab is supporting the community by providing meals for indigenous elders and others. The week before Christmas, they served 600 meals to elders and distributed 150 at-home meal kits to area families. They are also helping out their Lake Street neighbors, the Hope Youth Center. The Hope Youth Center is a free equitable learning pod created by Real Minneapolis. The center provides 30-35 students a day with tutoring, technology resources, and snacks to help support distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the month of January, the Indigenous Food Lab is sponsoring daily gift cards for Hope Youth Center students to get nutritious, diverse meals from any of the vendors at the Midtown Global Market.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Keep up to date on the Indigenous Food Lab and all of NATIFS work by joining their mailing list and following them on social media.
NATIFS: @natifs_org (Instagram/Twitter)
Indigenous Food Lab: @indi_food_lab (Twitter), @indigenousfoodlab (Instagram)
Support NATIFS collaboration with Hope Youth Center, and all their amazing work, by donating here.
Support the Hope Youth Center by donating here! Keep up to date on the Real Minneapolis projects by following them on Facebook and Instagram @realmpls.
Big River Farms’ Emerging Farmers Conference is coming up JAN. 29TH AND 30TH
Now in its sixteenth year, the Emerging Farmers Conference serves as a gathering space and supportive community for beginning farmers, particularly BIPOC and immigrant farmers who traditionally face barriers to farming. Organized by Big River Farms, the conference connects farmers, agricultural specialists, advocates, and professionals to share success stories, technical advice, and business expertise. The 2021 conference will focus on the disproportionate effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on farmers of color and the ways racial and economic injustices affect our communities. This year’s keynote speaker is Tiffany LaShae, a grower and activist based in the Frogtown neighborhood of St. Paul. The Emerging Farmers Conference is FREE for all farmers, and interpretive services are available in a variety of languages.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
This year’s conference will be held online January 29th and 30th, so you can join from the comfort of your own home!
Learn more about the Emerging Farmers Conference here.
You can find the 2021 conference schedule here and can REGISTER here.
Help support Big River Farms’s work by signing up for a 2021 CSA share! Big River Farms CSA is composed of produce from the beginning and immigrant farmers growing on the organization’s incubator farm. Support new farmers and get some delicious produce by signing up here.
Looking for some fun music that’ll remind you of the growing season?
Our Slow Food MN fans probably already appreciate that healthy, delicious food depends on healthy farms. And one of the biggest elements of a healthy farm is healthy soil. Land Stewardship Project recognizes that this is a crucial connection; that by taking care of our soil, we can grow more nutritious food AND help combat climate change! LSP’s Bridge to Soil Health project works with farmers and other professionals to advocate for soil-building practices on farms. The program serves as a knowledge-sharing network for those involved in growing food and raising livestock. And what better way to share knowledge than through song? LSP recently worked with Minnesota musician Bret Hesla to record two amazing songs celebrating the power of soil. Check out the Soil Music below!
Music Videos
“Got Cover Crops” and “Back to the Soil”
Want to sing along?
Learn the lyrics for “Got Cover Crops” here and “Back to the Soil” here.
ABOUT LYDIA FERMANICH
Lydia's relationship with the food system is grounded in communications and environmental stewardship. She has worked in training new sustainable farmers, food access, nutritional outreach, and urban gardening. Lydia is also an avid cross-country skier and outdoor recreationist.
