Editor’s note: Flavia Franco is a member of our Compost Action Team and founder of Southern Oregon Food Solutions. You may know Flavia from seeing her working at the Tuesday Growers Market compost bins through rain, snow, sleet, and 100° heat! Here, she recognizes the many volunteers in our valley working to minimize food waste and improve food justice for our friends and neighbors.
By Flavia Franco
Food Justice: that’s an unusual pairing of words. And I love having a chance to see an issue that I focus on all the time, but with a different perspective.
When trying to ascertain the power dynamics of an issue and whether or not justice is present, it’s good to ask these questions: Who pays? Who benefits? Who decides? Who can create justice?
Looking at our Food System, there are winners and losers and decision makers, and part of the cause of the large amount of food being wasted in this country is that distribution is not very efficient. How money flows through the Food System is a big part of that inefficiency. Without money, food stops moving. Then volunteer organizations and non-profits have to step up to fill in the gaps to get food to where it can be put to good use.
There are at least ten different groups of mostly volunteers that are working in Ashland to provide food access to those who need it but cannot afford it. Seven days a week, needs are being met, even though it doesn’t make economic sense for this food to keep moving.
So, deep gratitude goes to the humans doing the humanitarian work of treating people with kindness, dignity and respect and meeting their food needs, and creating justice where they can.
Thank you to:
Monday Meals led by Cathy McKiblin
Tuesday Meals led by Peace House
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday Meals led by Jason & Vanessa Houk
Saturday Meals led by Lisa Ebony
Breakfasts on the lawn led by Grandma Boom
Rotary Club for donating what is produced in their community garden to the Food Bank
On the food production side, food scrap contributors at the Rogue Valley Growers Market are creating justice because their food scraps are helping local farmers use the scraps to feed livestock or to build soil health. And Ashland Food Co-op creates justice by sponsoring the transport out to local farms every week.
One of my favorite sayings is that food is medicine. Now I can say food is medicine not just for the body but for our community — when we value it, use it to help people and get it to where it’s needed, and when we work together.
Thank you for caring and contributing.