The Capuchin Soup Kitchen and its urban garden ministry, Earthworks Urban Farm, will be hosting a Harvest Dinner on Wednesday, October 29, celebrating the successful growing season of its urban garden.
The event will be held at Gleaners Food Bank, a long time partner, 2131 Beaufait, Detroit 48207.
“In rural America, a time is set aside to enjoy the fruits of the farmers’ labor,” Alison Costello, Chef and Manager of the Meldrum Avenue Capuchin Soup Kitchen site, explains. “That’s the purpose of the Earthworks Harvest dinner - to celebrate everyone’s hard work and to learn more about community food system in the Detroit metro area. We are hoping to give everyone a chance to meet one another and to network.”
A social hour in the garden will begin 5 pm with light appetizers and garden tours. The dinner will be sourced entirely of local SE Michigan food including Ukrainian vegetable strudel, pork with currant preserves, Michigan walleye, roast lamb with peppercorns, and stuffed squash with ginger/orange sauce.
“True to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen’s philosophy that one should not have to be privileged to eat well, we are pricing tickets according to ones ability to pay,” Costello explains. “Tickets will be priced $10-$100. The Earthworks Urban Farm is a non-profit ministry. We depend on donations to continue our work. However, in this case, our diners are going to receive a fabulous, locally-grown meal in exchange for their generosity.” Diners can also sponsor a ticket, for $25, for those in our community who would otherwise be unable to attend.
Tickets are available by completing the registration form found online at www.cskdetroit.org/earthworks and by mailing a check and registration form to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen/Earthworks Urban Farm 1264 Meldrum, Detroit, MI 48207 by October 20.
The Capuchin Soup Kitchen’s Earthworks Urban Farm yields over 6,000 pounds of produce each season from its three city garden sites and two greenhouses and educates youth and adults in the community in regards to sustainable relationships between human beings and the earth. Earthworks Urban Farm works for a just, beautiful food system through education, inspiration and community development.
Founded in 1929, the Capuchin Soup Kitchen serves Metro Detroit by providing food, clothing, and spiritual counsel to those in need. Frequently preparing and serving 2,000 meals a day, the Capuchin Soup Kitchen also distributes household items and operates a shower program, food pantry, and children’s tutoring and art therapy program.
http://www.cskdetroit.org/
http://www.thecapuchins.org/
For additional information, contact:
Colleen K. Crane,
The Capuchin Province of St. Joseph
414.374.8841, ext. 27 (cell) 414.254.2808
Lisa Richter
313-579-2100 ext. 204
earthworks@cskdetroit.org
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Growing Hope in Ypsilanti, Michigan
On Sunday, September 21, we had the pleasure of participating in the 4th annual “Hope’s Harvest” a local foods dinner, silent auction and raffle benefitting Growing Hope, a non-profit organization based in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Growing Hope’s mission is to help people improve their lives and their communities through gardening. Growing Hope fosters learning, improves nutrition, encourages self-reliance, and promotes positive community futures.
Growing Hope has partnered in the development of over 25 community & school garden (and greenhouse) sites throughout Washtenaw County. Most of the gardens are managed by their lead partner, whether a neighborhood association, a school team, a group of residents, or a nonprofit organization. As a partner, Growing Hope provides both start up support (through our Community & School Garden Development Institute) and ongoing support. This year, through their leadership’s significant fundraising efforts, Growing Hope was able to acquire a permanent home at 922 West Michigan Avenue, just a few blocks west of downtown Ypsilanti, Michigan. The organization’s goal is to renovate the 1.4 acre urban lot and 1931 faux-Tudor house to provide year round urban food production, healthy cooking classes and a donation garden for people in need. They envision demonstration and training gardens and greenhouses, offices in a renovated model green building (the existing house), a home for their tool lending library, a colorful community gathering space, an education center (in a later phase) and opportunities for healthy learning and inspiration and hope.
Growing Hope has initiated many programs geared towards teaching children and adults the benefits of growing and eating fresh healthy food. It’s a wonderful organization with inspired leadership and we encourage you to read more about their programs at www.growinghope.net.
We hope to see you next year at the 5th annual Hope’s Harvest fundraising event!
Growing Hope has partnered in the development of over 25 community & school garden (and greenhouse) sites throughout Washtenaw County. Most of the gardens are managed by their lead partner, whether a neighborhood association, a school team, a group of residents, or a nonprofit organization. As a partner, Growing Hope provides both start up support (through our Community & School Garden Development Institute) and ongoing support. This year, through their leadership’s significant fundraising efforts, Growing Hope was able to acquire a permanent home at 922 West Michigan Avenue, just a few blocks west of downtown Ypsilanti, Michigan. The organization’s goal is to renovate the 1.4 acre urban lot and 1931 faux-Tudor house to provide year round urban food production, healthy cooking classes and a donation garden for people in need. They envision demonstration and training gardens and greenhouses, offices in a renovated model green building (the existing house), a home for their tool lending library, a colorful community gathering space, an education center (in a later phase) and opportunities for healthy learning and inspiration and hope.
Growing Hope has initiated many programs geared towards teaching children and adults the benefits of growing and eating fresh healthy food. It’s a wonderful organization with inspired leadership and we encourage you to read more about their programs at www.growinghope.net.
We hope to see you next year at the 5th annual Hope’s Harvest fundraising event!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Wyandotte Autumn Fest '08
Looking for a fun family event for this weekend? Come to a country fair in the city......Wyandotte, that is!
Wyandotte, Michigan is having a fall festival this weekend, Friday, 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday, noon until 8:00 p.m. There will be lots of good food, entertainment and kid-friendly events, including a petting farm and free horse and carriage rides! Eat Local Food will have a booth and be selling tote-bags, lawn signs, note cards and post cards.
Please come and join us! Wyandotte is a great city on the Detroit River, we love living here and this is another great opportunity to show off our town.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Can U.S. Courts Rule on Marketing Authenticity?
At Eat Local Food, we believe in portraying yourself, your business and your products in the most authentic, accurate manner possible. Your company values statements should reflect the principles you most highly believe in – to the extent that you wouldn’t be in business if you couldn’t follow these main beliefs. This recent federal appeals court ruling suggests that the U.S. government thinks you can be "too authentic" in your marketing.
Creekstone Farms Natural and Premium Angus Beef is a Kansas based meat packer that wanted to test 100% of their beef for Mad Cow disease. A federal appeals court ruled the government could prohibit this type of testing. It appears that the reason is the U.S. Department of Agriculture only tests a small percentage of cows for the disease, and if Creekstone tested all of its beef, they would have a competitive advantage over the larger meatpackers who are financially reluctant to conduct this expensive test on all their cows. Creekstone already reports the following competitively advantageous policies on their web site (http://www.creekstonefarms.com/index.html):
The Creekstone Farms Natural Protocols: No Antibiotics – EVER! No Added Hormones – EVER! No Growth Promoting Drugs – EVER! No Artificial Ingredients – EVER! 100% Vegetarian Diet –Sourced Verified to Ranch of Birth – Humane Animal Handling Practices
To add “100% Mad Cow Disease Free” to this list would certainly be another impressive values statement which would appeal to many consumers. For the government to prohibit this kind of thoroughness in product development and food safety is outrageous. It suggests the unfair influence the large meat packers have on industry standards, resulting in a competitive advantage for themselves. We believe if Creekstone was willing to pay for and document the testing, they should be able to do it and use it in their advertising.
Here's the NY Times link to the article - see what you think: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/business/30briefs-APPELLATEPAN_BRF.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Appellate Panel Bars Tests for Mad Cow Disease
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: August 30, 2008
A federal appeals court has ruled that the government can prohibit meat packers from testing their animals for mad cow disease. Because the Agriculture Department tests only a small percentage of cows for the deadly disease, a Kansas meatpacker, Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, wanted to test all of its cows, but the government says it cannot. Larger meat companies worry that if Creekstone is allowed to perform the test and advertise its meat as safe, they could be forced to do the expensive test, too. The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said restricting the test was allowable.
Creekstone Farms Natural and Premium Angus Beef is a Kansas based meat packer that wanted to test 100% of their beef for Mad Cow disease. A federal appeals court ruled the government could prohibit this type of testing. It appears that the reason is the U.S. Department of Agriculture only tests a small percentage of cows for the disease, and if Creekstone tested all of its beef, they would have a competitive advantage over the larger meatpackers who are financially reluctant to conduct this expensive test on all their cows. Creekstone already reports the following competitively advantageous policies on their web site (http://www.creekstonefarms.com/index.html):
The Creekstone Farms Natural Protocols: No Antibiotics – EVER! No Added Hormones – EVER! No Growth Promoting Drugs – EVER! No Artificial Ingredients – EVER! 100% Vegetarian Diet –Sourced Verified to Ranch of Birth – Humane Animal Handling Practices
To add “100% Mad Cow Disease Free” to this list would certainly be another impressive values statement which would appeal to many consumers. For the government to prohibit this kind of thoroughness in product development and food safety is outrageous. It suggests the unfair influence the large meat packers have on industry standards, resulting in a competitive advantage for themselves. We believe if Creekstone was willing to pay for and document the testing, they should be able to do it and use it in their advertising.
Here's the NY Times link to the article - see what you think: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/business/30briefs-APPELLATEPAN_BRF.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Appellate Panel Bars Tests for Mad Cow Disease
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: August 30, 2008
A federal appeals court has ruled that the government can prohibit meat packers from testing their animals for mad cow disease. Because the Agriculture Department tests only a small percentage of cows for the deadly disease, a Kansas meatpacker, Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, wanted to test all of its cows, but the government says it cannot. Larger meat companies worry that if Creekstone is allowed to perform the test and advertise its meat as safe, they could be forced to do the expensive test, too. The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said restricting the test was allowable.
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Photo by Chris Witkowski