Comments on: Food Conference: Bridging the Food Access Divide http://jcarrot.org/bridging-the-food-access-divide Jews, Food, and Contemporary Issues Mon, 21 May 2012 04:07:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Wendy http://jcarrot.org/bridging-the-food-access-divide/comment-page-1#comment-13465 Wendy Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:55:45 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/bridging-the-food-access-divide/#comment-13465 I used to be an organic vegetable farmer. Now I am disabled and recovering from strokes and other problems. There is a lot about both in my blog. While living in Florida last year, I got $573/month disability and $30 food stamps. Here in NY I am getting $741/month and no food stamps. Who gets $50/week in food stamps!?! I used to be an organic vegetable farmer. Now I am disabled and recovering from strokes and other problems. There is a lot about both in my blog.

While living in Florida last year, I got $573/month disability and $30 food stamps. Here in NY I am getting $741/month and no food stamps. Who gets $50/week in food stamps!?!

]]> By: Fern http://jcarrot.org/bridging-the-food-access-divide/comment-page-1#comment-13269 Fern Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:09:11 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/bridging-the-food-access-divide/#comment-13269 "Growing food is not something that rich white people invented as a luxury — it’s an ancient craft, pasttime and fact of life for lots of people." I just wanted to reiterate Anna's point above. I spend a lot of time on my blog talking about ways to grow food in just a few containers on an apartment balcony, not to mention ways to be really frugal when it comes to gardening. It is definitely possible to grow your own food in an urban environment! The problem is changing the culture so that growing food in containers on your balcony or patio or sidewalk is seen as a viable, worthwhile option. To that end, I think school gardens and community gardens are definitely worth promoting and expanding. “Growing food is not something that rich white people invented as a luxury — it’s an ancient craft, pasttime and fact of life for lots of people.”

I just wanted to reiterate Anna’s point above. I spend a lot of time on my blog talking about ways to grow food in just a few containers on an apartment balcony, not to mention ways to be really frugal when it comes to gardening. It is definitely possible to grow your own food in an urban environment! The problem is changing the culture so that growing food in containers on your balcony or patio or sidewalk is seen as a viable, worthwhile option. To that end, I think school gardens and community gardens are definitely worth promoting and expanding.

]]> By: Jen http://jcarrot.org/bridging-the-food-access-divide/comment-page-1#comment-13248 Jen Mon, 29 Dec 2008 03:38:46 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/bridging-the-food-access-divide/#comment-13248 I really loved Shira and Yoav's film. It was well suited for the audience it was shown to and they are in the process of editing different versions for different audiences. Their film wasn't about whether it is possible to live on food stamps for $1/meal, it was about whether it was possible to do that with a healthy diet. Shira and Yoav addressed in the film that they were privileged to have such a great grocery store near by, and made it clear that finding healthy food in low-income communities is the challenge that we are facing. This film educated those of us who take our posh grocery stores for granted, that health education and access to nutritional food is almost nonexistent in low-income neighborhoods. Furthermore, obesity is running rampant and health related diseases are the biggest killer in those neighborhoods. Sarah- thanks for giving us some places to take action, i was really inspired to help this problem after watching their film. I really loved Shira and Yoav’s film. It was well suited for the audience it was shown to and they are in the process of editing different versions for different audiences.

Their film wasn’t about whether it is possible to live on food stamps for $1/meal, it was about whether it was possible to do that with a healthy diet. Shira and Yoav addressed in the film that they were privileged to have such a great grocery store near by, and made it clear that finding healthy food in low-income communities is the challenge that we are facing.

This film educated those of us who take our posh grocery stores for granted, that health education and access to nutritional food is almost nonexistent in low-income neighborhoods. Furthermore, obesity is running rampant and health related diseases are the biggest killer in those neighborhoods.

Sarah- thanks for giving us some places to take action, i was really inspired to help this problem after watching their film.

]]> By: sarah http://jcarrot.org/bridging-the-food-access-divide/comment-page-1#comment-13247 sarah Mon, 29 Dec 2008 02:27:03 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/bridging-the-food-access-divide/#comment-13247 Hey - for what it's worth - the male half of the team is named Yoav, not Yuval. I think it's important that it be mentioned that their film is a work-in-progress and that they asked for critiques both in a live Q&A and on paper at the event...I am sure they will take plenty of comments to heart about how to make the film give an even more powerful message. Oh, and, er, can one really *steal* free samples? I thought that was a fun and playful aspect of the film that was a wink towards the admittedly privileged, audience Shira and Yoav are trying to educate. Hey – for what it’s worth – the male half of the team is named Yoav, not Yuval.

I think it’s important that it be mentioned that their film is a work-in-progress and that they asked for critiques both in a live Q&A and on paper at the event…I am sure they will take plenty of comments to heart about how to make the film give an even more powerful message.

Oh, and, er, can one really *steal* free samples? I thought that was a fun and playful aspect of the film that was a wink towards the admittedly privileged, audience Shira and Yoav are trying to educate.

]]> By: Anna http://jcarrot.org/bridging-the-food-access-divide/comment-page-1#comment-13246 Anna Mon, 29 Dec 2008 01:56:16 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/bridging-the-food-access-divide/#comment-13246 I thought Shira and Yuval's film was an entertaining, quirky and educational. It's easy to be preachy and gloomy, and they did the opposite. Without being heavy-handed, they raised some really great questions. What, indeed, about the folks who don't have supermarkets nearby? It makes the fact that our government believes it can feed it's citizens on $1/day all the more absurd. I applaud their taking the "food stamp challenge" -- and question whether I could take this on myself. Sarah -- I wouldn't quickly assume, though, that herb gardens are the purview only of the yuppie. When I was in Philadelphia earlier this fall at the Jewish Farm School Urban Sustainability weekend retreat, we saw hundreds of gardens -- some just a few tomato and collard plants in a small front garden, some whole lots or 'urban farms'. Growing food is not something that rich white people invented as a luxury -- it's an ancient craft, pasttime and fact of life for lots of people. We can learn from their example! Perhaps the best way to reform the food system -- and make food stamps go farther? is to encourage more home garden plots, on any surface level enough to hold soil. Nice work! I thought Shira and Yuval’s film was an entertaining, quirky and educational. It’s easy to be preachy and gloomy, and they did the opposite. Without being heavy-handed, they raised some really great questions. What, indeed, about the folks who don’t have supermarkets nearby? It makes the fact that our government believes it can feed it’s citizens on $1/day all the more absurd. I applaud their taking the “food stamp challenge” — and question whether I could take this on myself.

Sarah — I wouldn’t quickly assume, though, that herb gardens are the purview only of the yuppie. When I was in Philadelphia earlier this fall at the Jewish Farm School Urban Sustainability weekend retreat, we saw hundreds of gardens — some just a few tomato and collard plants in a small front garden, some whole lots or ‘urban farms’. Growing food is not something that rich white people invented as a luxury — it’s an ancient craft, pasttime and fact of life for lots of people. We can learn from their example! Perhaps the best way to reform the food system — and make food stamps go farther? is to encourage more home garden plots, on any surface level enough to hold soil.

Nice work!

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