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Equal Exchange, Inc. | 50 United Drive | West Bridgewater, MA 02379 | United States
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
New Coffee Hour Starter Kit
Equal Exchange, Inc. | 50 United Drive | West Bridgewater, MA 02379 | United States
Proposition 37 California Right to Know from Andrew Kang, PHP
ESSAY OF THE WEEK
Why a Major Food Organization Is Teaming Up With Monsanto and Friends to Block Your Right to Know What's in Your Food
The powerful Washington D.C.-based Grocery Manufacturer’s Association (GMA), a multi-billion dollar trade association representing America’s $1.2 trillion “Big Food” industry, has contributed $375,000 so far to defeat Prop 37, the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act. Its members are pitching in, too, led by food conglomerates like ConAgra Foods, J.M. Smucker, Hormel Foods, Kellogg Co., Coca-Cola North America, PepsiCo. and others.
How many more thousands – or millions - of dollars will the GMA spend in its desperate attempt to keep Californians from knowing what’s in their food? And the bigger question: Why?
Food Week of Action and World Food Day
Sunday, October 14-21; October 16 (World Food Day)
National Day of Action September 1
Dear Friends,
The prophet Isaiah proclaims God’s coming promise of well-being for human community saying “they shall not labor in vain” (Isaiah 65:17-25). And Presbyterians have been witnessing to God’s vision for work that is dignified, productive and up-building of human community through the Campaign for Fair Food.
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ Fair Food Program is a collaborative, working program between farmworkers, Florida growers and willing buyers to ensure that Florida tomato pickers have fair wages and working conditions. This summer has been a very active one for the Campaign for Fair Food as across the country Presbyterians have been rallying, dropping off manager’s letters when they shop at grocery chains and participating in the Chipotle day of action. Read on for how you can urge supermarkets and restaurants to make the standards ensured in this program the norm for their business. And mark your calendars for the Sept. 1 National Day of Action!
Peace,
The Rev. Noelle Damico PC(USA) Campaign for Fair Food
Recipe for Change National Day of Action - Sept. 1
This summer, faith-based human rights organization International Justice Mission launched a summer campaign in support of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ Campaign for Fair Food, entitled Recipe for Change. The campaign features weekly tomato-based recipes from food justice leaders (this week’s is from Michael Pollan) and raises awareness about the continued struggle to eliminate exploitation and forced labor in Florida agriculture.
Most importantly, it offers ways to take action -- including a Recipe for Change National Day of Action on September 1, which promises to be huge -- to encourage supermarket leaders Publix, Kroger, and Ahold to do their part to eradicate modern-day slavery and the conditions of poverty and powerlessness that enable it to exist by joining the Fair Food Program. Read more and plan to take part!
International Day of Action at Chipotle a Success!
Don’t miss the news and photo essays from the wildly successful national day of action at Chipotle Mexican Grill that became an INTERNATIONAL day of action as consumers in London fanned out to Chipotle stores across “the pond.” You can encourage Chipotle to join the Fair Food Program by sending postcards (email Noelle Damico to order), dropping off a manager’s letter at your local Chipotle restaurant, and signing this online petition to Chipotle CEO Steve Ells. Read more about how Chipotle has tried to wiggle out of committing to the Fair Food Program. →
What about Kroger?
With nearly 2,500 stores in 31 states under two dozen banners and annual sales of more than $70 billion, Kroger supermarket and its brands ranks as one of the nation’s largest retailers. But for years, Kroger had steadfastly refused to join the Fair Food Program. This past June, over 75 fair food supporters rallied outside Kroger’s annual meeting. Read more about Kroger’s 2012 Annual Meeting including the rally, the shareholder resolution and Kroger CEO David Dillon’s response to the question “When will Kroger seize this opportunity to mitigate human rights abuses in its supply chain?”
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Monday, May 14, 2012
Fair Food Update Rev. Noelle Damico
Dear Friends,
On Mother’s Day we remember the commandment to “honor thy father and mother” and give thanks for the many ways mothers promote well-being within families. But farmworker mothers, who labor in the Florida fields providing food for families across America, struggle to feed their own families. You can help change this.
This Mother’s Day weekend, mothers have come together — from both ends of the supply chain. Farmworker mothers and consumer mothers, bound by their universal desire to provide for their families, are uniting their voices to invite Publix Supermarket to become a part of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ Fair Food Program. You can support their call by signing the “Publix: Support farmworker mothers” Petition on change.org .
“On Mother's Day, we ask that you, Publix executives, recognize our affliction and the necessity of just wages for us as farmworkers, who as mothers are responsible for feeding our children," said Immokalee mother Carmen Esquivel.
The Rev. Tricia Dillon Thomas, a Publix customer and Presbyterian minister explains, "As a mother it is important to me that the food I put on the table is planted and harvested while maintaining farmworker dignity. I cannot very well ask the Lord to bless the food and forget the farmworker."
This Mother’s Day, pray that mothers everywhere would be treated with dignity. And sign the petition to help make that possibility real for mothers picking in the Florida tomato fields.
Learn more about the PC(USA)’s support for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the Campaign for Fair Food.
The Rev. Noelle Damico
Associate for Fair Food Presbyterian Hunger Program Mobile: (631) 371-9877 noelle.damico@pcusa.org https://community.pcusa.org//page.redir?target=http%3a%2f%2fwww.pcusa.org%2ffairfood&srcid=7384&srctid=1&erid=6859473 |
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Dear Friends,
On Mother’s Day we remember the commandment to “honor thy father and mother” and give thanks for the many ways mothers promote well-being within families. But farmworker mothers, who labor in the Florida fields providing food for families across America, struggle to feed their own families. You can help change this.
This Mother’s Day weekend, mothers have come together — from both ends of the supply chain. Farmworker mothers and consumer mothers, bound by their universal desire to provide for their families, are uniting their voices to invite Publix Supermarket to become a part of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ Fair Food Program. You can support their call by signing the “Publix: Support farmworker mothers” Petition on change.org .
“On Mother's Day, we ask that you, Publix executives, recognize our affliction and the necessity of just wages for us as farmworkers, who as mothers are responsible for feeding our children," said Immokalee mother Carmen Esquivel.
The Rev. Tricia Dillon Thomas, a Publix customer and Presbyterian minister explains, "As a mother it is important to me that the food I put on the table is planted and harvested while maintaining farmworker dignity. I cannot very well ask the Lord to bless the food and forget the farmworker."
This Mother’s Day, pray that mothers everywhere would be treated with dignity. And sign the petition to help make that possibility real for mothers picking in the Florida tomato fields.
Learn more about the PC(USA)’s support for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the Campaign for Fair Food.
The Rev. Noelle Damico
Associate for Fair Food Presbyterian Hunger Program Mobile: (631) 371-9877 noelle.damico@pcusa.org https://community.pcusa.org//page.redir?target=http%3a%2f%2fwww.pcusa.org%2ffairfood&srcid=7384&srctid=1&erid=6859473 |
Action Alert - Presbyterian Office of Public Witness
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Action Alert: House Bill (HR 4970) is NOT a real VAWA 
Last Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee marked up and passed the Adams (R-FL) version of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization, HR 4970. This bill fails to live up to the bipartisan Senate-passed bill (S 1925), which provides improved protections for particularly vulnerable populations. In fact, this House bill turns back the clock on the Violence Against Women Act and is NOT a real VAWA reauthorization.
The full House is expected to vote early this week. Tell your Representative to vote NO on HR 4970 – it’s not the VAWA reauthorization we want.
The PC(USA), together with our interfaith partners, has been working to support the Senate-passed VAWA reauthorization (S 1925) and to defeat this harmful House bill that hurts and excludes certain survivors of violence from protections and access to the help and services they need. In some cases, the Adams bill gives more rights to perpetrators than to victims.
The Violence Against Women Act, enacted in 1994, recognizes the insidious and pervasive nature of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, an stalking, and it supports comprehensive, effective, and costs saving responses to these crimes. VAWA programs, administered by the Departments of Justice and Health & Human Services, give law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges the tools they need to hold offenders accountable and keep communities safe, while supporting victims.
The Senate-passed bill includes provisions that provide new protections for Native American women, immigrants, and LGBT victims. The Adams bill (HR 4970) approved by the House Judiciary committee not only fails to include these new provisions, but actually rolls back important protections, including confidentiality, for immigrant victims. In essence, this bill is picking and choosing which victims of domestic and intimate partner violence should get help.
Write to your Representative today! Tell him/her to vote NO on HR 4970- it’s not the VAWA reauthorization we want.
We applaud members of the Judiciary committee who attempted to improve the Adams bill by offering amendments (all of which failed) to include vulnerable communities, such as Native women, LGBT victims, and immigrants. Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI) even offered a substitute amendment that closely mirrors the bipartisan Senate-passed bill, but that amendment was not allowed to be considered or debated. In the end, the improving amendments were not adopted, and Committee members who stand with ALL victims of violence voted NO. Find out if your Member is on the Committee and how he/she voted below.*
Despite these disappointing results, we are not giving up. The VAWA Reauthorization is essential! Instead of the Adams bill, the PC(USA) supports HR 4271, introduced by Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) -- a bill that mirrors the bipartisan Senate-passed bill. The first step is to urge the full House to vote NO on the Adams bill, HR 4970, and to support instead HR 4271, an inclusive VAWA that is a real step forward for all victims of violence.
For more information, check out www.4vawa.org.
_____
*Members who voted in favor of HR 4970 in committee: Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX), Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI), Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-CA), Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA), Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA), Rep. Steve King (R-IA), Rep. Trent Frank (R-AZ), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Rep. Tim Griffin (R-AR), Rep. Thomas Marino (R-PA), Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), Rep. Mike Ross (R-AR), Rep. Sandy Adams (R-FL), Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV)
*Members who voted against HR 4970 in committee: Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI), Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), Rep. JerryNadler (D-NY), Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC), Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), Rep. Pedro Pierluisi (D-PR), Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL), Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO)
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Food Justice Newsletter May 2012
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World Fair Trade Day is this Saturday, May 12. Fair trade provides economic opportunities for farmers, ensures transparency and accountability, and includes standards on gender equity, child labor, working conditions, and caring for the environment. Here are a few ways to get involved on Saturday and beyond:
From a practical and personal standpoint, what does it mean to engage in “Food Justice” work? In what sense is this idea “Justice” used? Are we personally acting from the perspective of our theology, our middle class ethic, our privilege, our sincere desperation or from some other place? I ask these questions to you earnestly. We each come from somewhere and where we come from dictates our encounters with others. We are each guided and blinded by our perspectives, in the same way that saving our poor “little brown brothers” at once tasted of nobility and foulness in the moment of its speaking. If you, as a reader, approach this from some moral obligation you feel compelled to fulfill, this is legitimate. If, for you, this work touches on some pure altruism or serves as a visible badge of liberal humanism, this too is legitimate because it is your own lived reality. No matter where you are coming from, it is necessary to seek out ourselves. How does your perspective guide your relation to the recipients of your Justice? What is true for you? When our particular core truths enter into dialogue, we are made naked and sincere in our work. This is foundational work. This cannot remain invisible if we are to speak together of justice and justice work.
As my seedlings become darling little adolescents with so much potential for producing a bountiful harvest, it is hard to face the global reality that--even in the face of such abundance--roughly one third of the food produced worldwide for human production is lost or wasted. But instead of getting lost in the numbers or bemoaning the failures of humanity, one next step requires us to ask what are we going to do about it?
A few weeks ago the National Slow Food Congress convened in Louisville to talk food at their biennial conference. The 150 participants came from all over the country to slow things down for a few days and discuss the praxis of slow sustainable food systems. The program included opening remarks from Mayor Greg Fischer who spoke of the progress of his “Healthy Hometown” initiative and encouraged others to join in the fight.
Fresh Stop director Karyn Moskowitz, organizer Nathaniel Spencer and VISTA Arianna King spoke to the Slow Food Congress on the Food Justice tour about the importance of making slow, healthy, sustainably grown food available to ALL individuals, through the process of cultivating community leaders and educating community members about the importance of healthy eating. 
...a growing “domestic fair trade” movement aims to formally recognize and reward farms that are working to address social justice. The Agricultural Justice Project (AJP) has developed a set of fair labor guidelines under the Food Justice Certified label, which was born out of dissatisfaction with the US National Organic Program’s failure to address workers’ dignity and rights... While more than 70 Canadian farms are Food Justice Certified, only eight in the United States have received certification. There is now a burgeoning effort to bring the label to California, with Santa Cruz County-based strawberry grower Swanton Berry Farm among those leading the way. 
I met Nat Turner, a former New York City public-school teacher, in New Orleans in November, 2010 surrounded by mountains of compost, beautiful vegetables and many volunteers and budding farmers. Nat moved to New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward on Thanksgiving Day, 2008. He didn’t know anything about gardening — “I could barely keep a cactus alive” — but he had a vision to start an urban farm that would be a vehicle for educating and empowering the neighborhood’s youth. He’d been making service trips to the Big Easy with students, but he wanted an opportunity to dig deeper, literally and figuratively, into the city’s revitalization.  |
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