Promote with a Reusable Tote!

Putting your business name on a reusable tote bag is a powerful, useful, space-efficient promotional tool. Consistent, repeated marketing imagery is known to increase sales. Customers will not only use your tote bag in your store, but while shopping at other businesses and visiting other communities. Your promotional reusable tote bag becomes a walking advertising billboard for your business. And, by selling your promotional tote bag to customers at your cost, you are paying for your advertising.

Made in the USA, Eat Local Food^® tote bags are decorative, reusable and functional. Customize with your business name, logo or message and pay for your eco-friendly public advertising.

Visit www.flickr.com for photos of our Eat Local Food tote bags!

Click here for a quick slideshow.

Looking for a Farmers Market?

The USDA has issued its 2010 National Farmers Market Directory.

According to the directory, there are 6,132 operational farmers markets in the U.S. The states with the most farmers markets are: California (580), New York (461), Illinois (286), Michigan (271), Iowa (229), Massachusetts (227), Ohio (213), Wisconsin (204), Pennsylvania (203) and North Carolina (182).

The USDA National Farmers Market Directory can be found at http://farmersmarkets.usda.gov. Farmers markets can be searched by state, county, zip code and participation in federal nutrition assistance programs.

Harvest Dinner at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen

The Capuchin Soup Kitchen’s Earthworks Urban Farm will be hosting its third annual Harvest Dinner, Saturday, September 11, celebrating local culture, local youth, and local food. The event will be held at Gleaners Community Food Bank, a Capuchin Soup Kitchen partner, 2131 Beaufait, Detroit.

This year’s family-friendly event will feature a gourmet local foods barbeque, an interactive participatory storytelling experience, youth artwork, and youth presentations. A social hour in the garden will begin at 5 pm with light appetizers, and garden tours, weather permitting. Youth and adults alike will also have the opportunity to see and learn first hand about small farm animals such as chickens. The dinner will be sourced from local farms and will be prepared by local chefs and volunteers from Jones Urban Foods, Detroit Evolution, the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, and more.

Patrick Crouch, Program Manager for Earthworks Urban Farm, explains the importance of storytelling. “Everyone in the world deserves a just food system. In order to achieve that goal, we need to connect with one another and create relationship. Storytelling gives an opportunity for developing a shared story.”

“This year our Harvest Dinner takes place September 11th ,” Alison Costello, Meldrum Capuchin Soup Kitchen manager explains. “Besides celebrating the gardens’ bounty and those who have made this harvest possible, we commemorate the thousands who lost their lives on September 11 and the families they left behind.”

Tickets will be priced sliding scale $15-$100. Attendees are encouraged to contribute what they are able. All are invited to sponsor a ticket for $25 for those in the community who otherwise may not be able to attend.

Ticket information is available online at www.cskdetroit.org/earthworks or calling 313-579-2100, ext 204. Reservation deadline is Thursday, September 2. Earthworks Urban Farm of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen recently partnered with Gleaners Community Food Bank to launch an urban agricultural training program called Earthworks Agricultural Training (E.A.T.)