Last Thursday was a corker! Starting at 8:30 the Fabulous Flying Flinks joined the Fantastic Field Family and picked bushels and bushels of sweetcorn. I brought the haul to The Camden Promise in North Minneapolis who took all they could use then visited Waite House and Pillsbury United Communities who also took all they wanted. Next was Groveland Food Shelf and finally Joyce Uptown Foodshelf: one harvest served four food banks!
L-R Jordan Fields (arms only – sorry!), Trenne Fields, Sebastian Lawler, Iris Flink, Freyja Flink, Willa Flink, Carl Flink, Emilie Flink
To provide a bit of perspective, I asked the various food shelves about their work. Every one told me that the need is greater today than it was before the pandemic. At the moment, Camden Promise is open 6 days a week and serves 60-80 families each day. In the Phillips neighborhood Pillsbury United Communities at Waite House serves 80 families per day, 4 days a week. At Groveland Food Shelf Jaye and new executive director Kerry Ann measure things differently serving 265 people per day, 5 days a week. Finally, Matthew Ayres at Joyce Uptown Foodshelf noted that in June they served nearly 1,000 households of which 183 were first time users of the service. As I drive to the farm it breaks my heart to see acres and acres of GMO corn and soy that no human can eat. The soil and climate here is – even with climate change – amazingly productive. That anyone in this state should ever be hungry is an absolute indictment of our food “system”. This should not be.
That said, thank you to (L-R) Jordan Fields (arms only – blame the photographer!), Trenne Fields, Sebastian Lawler, The Fabulous Flying Flinks: Iris, Freyja, Willa, Carl and Emilie.
(Español abajo) Sunday night’s harvest was special: volunteers included the de la Rosa clan who stayed for a parranda (party) with grilled marinated beef and elote (Mexican-style sweet corn on the grill). FYI Dulce is a wonderful cook and her green salsa is delicious! This morning I took the harvest to The Camden Promise once again who took all they could use so it was on to Joyce Uptown Food Shelf with the rest. Big thanks to (L-R) Kevin De La Rosa, Karen Kleinspehn, Oscar Moctezuma, Juan Calixto, Dulce De La Rosa and Mayela De La Rosa.
(L-R) Kevin De La Rosa, Karen Kleinspehn, Oscar Moctezuma, Juan Calixto, Dulce De la Rosa and Mayela De La Rosa
Elote!
Sweet corn at Joyce Uptown Food Shelf
La cosecha del domingo por la noche fue especial: los voluntarios incluyeron al clan de la Rosa que se quedó para una parranda con carne marinada a la parrilla y elote. ¡FYI Dulce es una cocinera maravillosa y su salsa verde es deliciosa! Esta mañana llevé la cosecha a The Camden Promise una vez más, quienes se llevaron todo lo que pudieron usar para que estuviera en Joyce Uptown Food Shelf con el resto. Gracias a (L-R) Kevin De La Rosa, Karen Kleinspehn, Oscar Moctezuma, Juan Calixto, Dulce De La Rosa y Mayela De La Rosa.
A glorious summer morning in the Sogn Valley with a fine crew! Thanks to (L-R) Chuck Lentz, Barb Rose, Cara Rodriguez, Barb Pratt, Tessa Meiser, Katy Lowery and David Edminster – the corn you picked went to Pillsbury United Communities’ Food Bank at Waite House in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis. The staff assured me that it would all be distributed that day and much of it on dinner tables that very night. A recent message from our partners at The Food Group noted that food shelf visits by children are rising in Minnesota. As I work with the various food banks I keep hearing that even though lockdowns have ended, the need for food banks has continued to grow. Thanks to everyone who helps with this project: the need is real and your contributions matter.
L-R: Chuck Lentz, Barb Rose, Cara Rodriguez, Barb Pratt, Tessa Meiser, Katy Lowery and David Edminster
Sweetcorn at Pillsbury United Communities’ food bank at Waite House
Delivering fresh Sweet Corn to the Waite House food bank
Omigosh what a harvest! Yesterday (July 27th) was the first corn harvest of the 2023 season and oh boy what a harvest it was. Despite challenging weather and serious racoon pressure the harvest was bountiful beyond my hopes. Huge thanks to Sarah York, Jordan Fields, Sebastian Lawler and Trenne Fields for braving the heat and humidity to help provide for families in need. We started at 8:00 AM to beat the heat and the corn was delivered to the food banks by noon. The Camden Promise in North Minneapolis was the first stop and they took all they could use. Then it was off to the Seward Neighborhood and Pillsbury United Communities at Waite House. Thank you, thank you to the volunteer harvesters and all the folks at the food banks. We know this is a drop in the bucket of need, but it is a joy to share this abundance!
