5 Food + Culture + Earth Causes for #GivingTuesday (and Beyond)
#GivingTuesday shines a light on organizations that join communities to transform our world. It's kind of like a coordinated day of gift-giving and gratitude sharing with extended, badass family, and a healthy antidote to the media craze of Cyber Monday and holiday shopping.
I thought to share some ideas with you for today (and beyond - because why be limited to Tuesday?!). Below are just a few organizations I had the chance to recently connect with. They are building opportunities that regenerate - for generations to reconnect to culture, healthy and accessible food, beginning farmers to deepen their skills, and healing relationships with the natural world. So please - pull up a seat, join in or add to the list, and share your loving support.
1. Bahay Kubo Garden Project. Bahay Kubo lifts up Filipino American health, food and culture. It does this through planting culturally relevant crops, gardening and eco-education, in connection with the broader work of Filipino Advocates for Justice. In May, the project was recognized by the Big Ideas contest as a Food Systems Innovator and won $10,000 seed funding. The site is growing and now has 17 days left to raise $2500 for a matching funds challenge - anything given today until December 18 will be doubled!
2. Sama Sama Cooperative. Sama Sama brings children, families and communities together to reclaim land, culture, and earth-based tradition. Run by a cooperative of dedicated families, it is - through and through - built with integrity and love. Learn more and check out their adorable video feature on Adobo Nation here.
3. Movement Generation. MG inspires and engages in transformative action towards the liberation and restoration of land, labor, and culture - whether through "earth skills" trainings, ecology retreats, or sassy storytelling for our planet.
4. Multinational Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture. MESA honors ancestral knowledge, sustainable tradition, and builds real connection between young and beginning farmers from across the globe, from the US to Peru to Mexico to Thailand and beyond.
5. CASFS Farm and Garden Apprenticeship. This apprenticeship builds practical tools in organic farming through an immersive apprenticeship, and has served as a catalyst point for farmers, advocates and educators around the globe. My time at CASFS in 2011 was made possible through the support of generous, anonymous scholarships, for which I hold deep gratitude. Here's to continued support of low income and apprentices of color to access this kind of quality training.
And while these aren't entirely food-culture-land organizations, they are doing deep healing and political work. Let it also be known that this work is done all while being volunteer-run organizations - they deserve even more love (on that note, I am a board member and editor in each, respectively, and deeply believe in their vision):
Filipino/American Coalition for Environmental Solidarity
Hyphen Magazine