Nina Corbett with final product, canned pears

By Evangeline Heath

As a native Angelino, I’m used to seeing trees sitting in yards pregnant with fruit that is never picked. Many home-owners don’t know what to do with all they produce and don’t have time harvest.  So the fruit dangles, like so many dusty Christmas ornaments, rotting away.

Food Forward is a new organization with a juicy idea to solve this problem. They organize “Fruit Picks” in residential neighborhoods and then donate the bounty to food banks.

They’ve collected over 60,649 pounds of fruit in 2009.  Beyond giving it to those in need, Food Forward is looking at other ways to preserve their produce.  Like canning.

On a Sunday afternoon, my husband and I were lucky enough to participate in Food Forward’s first canning workshop.  Kevin West of the savingtheseason.com and Nina Corbett of putsup.com were generous enough to donate their time and teach about twenty Food Forward volunteers the canning basics in the M.E.N.D Poverty kitchen in Pacoima.

M.E.N.D (Meeting Each Need With Dignity) is one of the largest poverty agencies in the Valley, serving over 368,969 people.

The canning process is straightforward and pleasing in its Zen-like repetition.  First peel the fruit, chop it, poach it, then heat the jars, fill them, seal them, boil them, cool them, and eventually eat them.

With 240 jars, 10 crates of pears, and 7 huge pots to work with, we split into groups and got to work. I grabbed a peeler with the dullest blade I’ve ever used and picked a pear to peel (say that three times fast).

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How innovative markets serve the needs of low-income customers
By Benjamin Fried
(excerpted from Project for Public Spaces)

Toronto, Ontario - One method to make markets more accessible is to bring them closer to customers. That’s what a Toronto organization called FoodShare accomplished by setting up small produce stands called “Good Food Markets” in low-income neighborhoods throughout the city.

“Most of the farmers markets [in Toronto] are based in middle- and upper-income communities,” said Angela ElzingaCheng of FoodShare, adding that the cost of traveling across town to get fresh food is “very expensive for low-income communities.”

To reduce those costs, FoodShare launched the first Good Food Markets in 2005. That summer there were two locations. This year there are twelve.

A big key to FoodShare’s success has been community partnerships. The markets are located in neighborhood institutions like health clinics and community centers. FoodShare staff shows how to set up the stands and sell the produce, and the neighborhood partners organize the rest. It’s been a winning strategy for everyone involved.

St. Margaret’s-in-the-Pines Church hosts the East Scarborough Community Market, which includes a Good Food Market and stalls run by several neighborhood organizations.

“People are extremely excited to have this market atmosphere, and the market organizers are building relationships with people,” said ElzingaCheng. “The markets are doorways to other things. People start accessing other resources.”

The markets serve as vehicles for Placemaking in these community institutions, sparking new activity that draws people together. At St. Margaret’s-in-the-Pines Church, for instance, five community organizations have combined a Good Food Market with craft vendors, music, children’s activities, and booths for local organizations, creating a vibrant public space. Another partner, the Flemingdon Community Health Center, has used a Good Food Market as a venue to support five women embarking on prepared food and catering businesses, who sell their products at the market site.

ElzingaCheng believes the emphasis on public space at each market site is integral to its success. When FoodShare sets up a new Good Food Market, she shares Placemaking principles and expertise with the partner organizations that host it.

“When you look at the issue of food access,” she said, “the best way to address it is through culturally appropriate food, lower transportation costs, and vibrant public spaces.”

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CHICAGO (Reuters) – Hunger is spreading while the number of homeless families is increasing as a result of the recession and other factors, according to a report on Tuesday.

U.S.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors said cities reported a 26 percent jump in demand for hunger assistance over the past year, the largest average increase since 1991.

Middle-class families as well as the uninsured, elderly, working poor and homeless increasingly looked for help with hunger, which was mainly fueled by unemployment, high housing costs and low wages.

The 2009 report is based on a survey of 27 cities, including Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia and San Francisco, that comprise the group’s task force on hunger and homelessness.

Looking ahead to 2010, cities said they expect it will be difficult to meet increased demands for food due to the impact of state and local budget cuts, a decrease in grocery store donations and higher food costs.

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(Reporting by Karen Pierog; Editing by James Dalgleish)

Good For the Jews announces the “Putting the Ha! in Hanukkah” 2009 tour. The hilarious rock duo, and special guest Marc Maron, bring their unorthodox style of music and comedy to Los Angeles. Check out their latest song below.

Show Details:
Wednesday, December 9, 2009 (the minus-third night of Hanukkah)
Doors at 7:30 pm, show at 8:30 pm
@ Largo at the Coronet
366 N. La Cienega Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA

$$Buy tickets at the box office, online at www.largo-la.com, or by calling (310) 855-0350.

Bonus
Bring a couple cans of food to the show and help feed the hungry this holiday season! It’ll make you feel good. All donations will go toward Fed Up With Hunger.

At the launch of “Hungry No More: A Blueprint to End Hunger in Los Angeles,” we announced our first round of “Fed Up with Hunger” micro-grants!   Here is a list of our recipients

Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles in support of SOVA Community Food & Resource Program
JFS/SOVA provides free groceries and supportive services to people whose limited incomes make it difficult to provide adequate, healthy food for themselves and family members.  In addition, SOVA has been a core partner in Fed Up with Hunger.

St. Margaret Center
A program of Catholic Charities, St. Margaret Center serves individuals and families living at or below the poverty level in the LAX area via a food pantry, classes and job training, and cash assistance for rent and utilities.

Food Forward
An all-volunteer organization that mobilizes individuals to glean excess fruit from orchards and backyards which is then donated to local food pantries.

Read more »

Patt Morrison is a superstar columnist, author, and radio personality. Her show on KPCC 89.3 is a live two-hour public affairs program known for its innovative discussions of local politics and culture, and for its presentation of national and world news as it affects Southern California.

Show Notes
L.A. is in the midst of a hunger crisis, with over 1.25 million people in LA County, mostly children and the elderly, struggling to get enough to eat. As part of their “Blueprint to End Hunger”, the Jewish Federation and its Fed Up With Hunger partners are calling on elected officials to declare Los Angeles a “hunger-free community.” Patt talks with them about their three part plan to eradicate hunger, how LA county can help and whether ending hunger is an economically feasible goal given the city’s dire financial straits.

Guests:
Andrew Cushnir, associate executive vice president of the Jewish Federation
Zev Yaroslavsky, LA County Supervisor

We’re beset by fast food, plagued by food deserts, and our waistlines are growing nearly as fast as the Federal debt- but don’t despair, folks!  We can fix these problems with a little ingenuity and a lot of communal elbow grease.  In fact, one exciting solution is already sweeping the nation: urban farming. 

Urban farms offer a number of benefits.  They provide a ready supply of fresh fruits and vegetables to inner city communities which all too often have a dearth of nutritious, healthful food.  This locally grown produce is more earth friendly than typical supermarket fare, which must be shipped from distant rural areas.  Urban farms also help to make a community out of otherwise anonymous inner city neighborhoods.  If you’ve ever lived in a big city (like Los Angeles), you’ve had the experience of your neighbors being strangers.  You pass by people on the street and you rarely say hello.  There’s really nothing like a good democratic effort to make a community out of anonymity. Read more »

Community Services Unlimited Inc. (CSU) runs a Community Supported Agriculture produce program.  Every Thursday, subscribers of the Farm Fresh Produce Bag program receive a bag filled with seasonal fruits and vegetables from CSU’s urban mini-farms and local farmers. The bag includes a news sheet with easy recipes using items in the bag.

Today, Farm Fresh subscribers got a special treat. They received their goods in Fed Up With Hunger reusable shopping bags. A big thanks goes out to CSU for helping us get the word out about the community effort to end hunger in LA!