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The Collective Farm Helping Oregon's Latinx Farmworkers Weather the Pandemic

Judy Bankman

November 19, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Hood River, Oregon

The Raíces Cooperative Farm in Hood River, Oregon provides Spanish-speaking community members "a place to grow food," learn from one another about farming practices and develop leadership skills. “Through Raíces, I began to learn better cultivation techniques. [We are shown] how to care for the soil, plants, and seeds, and the program provides economic support" one member explained. During the coronavirus pandemic, the cooperative has also been integral to supplying food for mobile markets.

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A New Native Seed Cooperative Aims to Rebuild Indigenous Foodways

Ray Levy Uyeda

November 10, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne, United States, New York

The Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance organized a seed drive to distribute thousands of seeds to 270 different tribes. The indigenous seed exchange led to the creation of an intertribal cooperative to share traditional knowledge and practices as well. It has conducted a seed census in addition to creating a seed sovereignty assessment toolkit for communities.

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Black Grandmothers Feed their Communities, and Pass on Food Traditions—Online

Hannah Wallace

October 21, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

A program called Grandma’s Hands has begun hosting virtual dinner parties as a means of connecting and engaging with Black grandmothers during the coronavirus pandemic. Funded by a grant from the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the program also helps connect participants with fresh produce from Black- and Indigenous-run farms in the Portland area.

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Just What the Doctor Ordered: Produce Prescriptions are More Important—and Popular—Than Ever.

Andy Hirschfeld

August 13, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Produce prescription programs across the United States are seeing a resurgence in activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These programs provide healthy foods at a subsidized price to patients with chronic health issues. For example, the VeggieRx program in Chicago used to give out up to 70 boxes of fruits and veggies a week, but now they’re up to 160 boxes a week. While studies have shown that these programs can have a positive impact on patients' health, insurance companies usually only pay for patients to participate in them for a short period of time, so the health benefits might be limited.

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How Essential Food Workers Are Fighting Back

Nadra Nittle

July 31, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Nevada

Meatpacking workers protested Covid-19 safety concerns and a coalition of advocacy groups filed a civil rights complaint with the government accusing Tyson and JBS USA of racial discrimination during the pandemic because the safety issues disproportionately impact line workers, who are largely people of color. Nevada’s Culinary Union also sued Las Vegas Strip casinos for unsafe working conditions. Two casinos have been dropped from the suit after deciding to negotiate privately with the union and Tyson has since instituted some safety measures, but broader impacts of the complaints remain to be seen.

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College Food Pantries Are Reinventing Ways to Feed Students

Lela Nargi

July 27, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

University-based food pantries around the U.S. had to quickly rethink the ways they could continue to provide students with access to food during the pandemic, despite students not having the same campus access as before. Fresno City College in California expanded its hours of operations and widened access to the whole community, instead of students only. Other college food pantries in California started using appointment-based apps for students to make appointments and pick up their food. Philander Smith College in Arkansas offered ready-made food baskets and grocery gift-cards, and emergency cash.

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Could a Detroit Experiment Unleash the Power of Urban Soil?

Brian Allnutt

July 16, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

A multi-year experiment in Detroit is looking at environmentally sustainable ways to build urban soil. Some urban farmers are concerned about the high alkalinity levels in their soils, which can lead to potentially contaminated produce. The project is studying how cover crops, compost, and tillage can improve a piece of land. Early results suggest that these techniques can improve soils for agriculture but also improve the soil’s capacity to absorb carbon to mitigate climate change in major cities.

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Youth Are Flipping an Abandoned North Carolina Prison into a Sustainable Farm

Christina Cooke

June 15, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Wagram, North Carolina

A former North Carolina prison has been reclaimed by the nonprofit Growing Change to teach sustainable farming to youth who otherwise might be doomed to their own prison terms without an effective intervention. The 9-year-old program, while small, is meant to serve as a model for reusing many other shuttered prisons as the nation’s incarceration numbers fall. Boasting positive effects on recidivism, the program’s focus is the racially diverse youth of the rural, impoverished eastern part of the state – the same people who disproportionately get imprisoned.

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The Farm to Food Bank Movement Aims to Rescue Small-Scale Farming and Feed the Hungry

Lynne Curry

May 14, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Supply chains have been disrupted with the restrictions imposed by the Coronavirus pandemic, and farmers are suffering from a lack of buying customers. Meanwhile, food banks are in dire straits as more and more people seek support after losing jobs to the pandemic. What's needed? A middle man. This article looks at a range of solutions across the United States in which organizations and community groups are stepping up to fill the gap between the two needs. They largely do this by purchasing, packaging, and distributing surplus product to local food banks who need more donations for the community.

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Can Restaurants Survive the Pandemic By Feeding Those in Need?

Amy Halloran

April 10, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Minnesota

Donations and GoFundMe campaigns and payments from municipalities are funding restaurants, which are paying their staff to make food for those in the community who are food insecure. In the Twin Cities, a coalition of reorganized Minnesota restaurants is churning out 10,000 meals a week.

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