Thoughts on "Food Justice- Beet Boxes Make Beautiful Music"

Hello Friends! 

As I was collecting stories for a newsletter that I am putting together for my practice experience, I came across a story titled “Food Justice- Beet Boxes Make Beautiful Music”. This short article featured Phat Beets Produce, an organization in Oakland creating garden programs and producing “Beet Boxes” for the community. With a mission to foster healthier and more equitable food systems in North Oakland, Phat Beets Produce connects local farmers to low-income populations by holding workshops and teaching youth nutritional value through diet management and gardening. One of their new initiatives is the “Beet Box”, a produce stand selling locally grown food outside St. Martin De Porres Elementary School. Here students and families can buy boxes of locally grown food for $15 to $25 or cheaper for those on WIC and food stamps. In addition, the organization works with various community agricultural programs and health centers. In forming the Healthy Hearts Youth Garden with Children’s Hospital to combat obesity, Phat Beets Produce set up the first clinic-based garden in the nation.  What’s most exciting to me is how actively the organization engages the community. After exploring their website, I found that they have a unique approach to participation and perspective to the role of the community beyond forming partnerships with other organizations. Even within the organization, they aim to involve everyone. For instance, in their March forum more than 130 Oakland residents congregated at a church to discuss the most pressing issues of the community. Each individual was asked to write down 3 big concerns and 3 big ideas. They then broke into discussion groups and outlined their ideal neighborhood. I think it is amazing how this diverse community transformed a problematic space into one for sharing and empowering. In this way the community is truly invested as participatory stake holders.

Although the community collectively takes responsibility to tackle issues of food, health, housing, and gentrification, I am not certain to what degree the community holds the government responsible. It seems as if many of the projects, including “Beet Boxes” are minor ways in which the community organizes to temporarily better their neighborhood. However, perhaps this approach despite its merits follows the “paradox of participation” in which the more the community participates, the less they demand of the government in making a lasting change. Their success perhaps signifies to the government that both support and accountability are not necessary. 

As I continue my practice experience with BareAbundance, a student-run nonprofit working to alleviate hunger through redistributing excess, consumable food in the East Bay, I hope to incorporate Beet Phat Produce’s successes in community engagement while recognizing the limitations of an absolute community-based model. Since I will be able to shape the overall structure of BareAbundance as an organization, I would like to find a better approach to integrate community accountability and government accountability. If you have any suggestions or thoughts, please let me know. I would love some input! Many thanks!

Here is a link to the story: http://www.kalev.com/food-justice-beet-boxes-make-beautiful-music/

and to: http://www.phatbeetsproduce.org/