We have been honored to be able to support Huerto de la Familia through donations to the One Great Hour of Sharing. Huerto is a dynamic initiative which works in Oregon to expand opportunities and training in organic agriculture and business creation to families with the least access, but whom have great potential to benefit. Many of these families are Latino, thus the Spanish name. I learned a lot from these wonderful short videos Huerto created this year, and you may too.
The first film in a three-part series, Harvest of Pride: Cultivating Community features the stories of families, social workers and community practitioners. While news media continue to focus mostly on the “hunger problem”, the film points to the largely ignored epidemic of food insecurity among Latinos and immigrants.
Food advocacy groups are quick to note food waste, food deserts and food security. But we all struggle with framing the bigger issue underlying food access and hunger for many Latinos in the United States: food justice. (click on the photo to open the Vimeo video)
The second film in a three-part series, Harvest of Pride: Growing Food Leaders follows a cooperative of Latino farmers who’ve launched their own successful organic farm business. It isn’t easy to be a farmer no matter who you are, but this group of families have overcome hundreds of obstacles and barriers to grow a volatile but antioxidant superstar fruit: organic Blackcap raspberries. In addition, they grow multiple kinds of organic strawberries for the community to U-pick. (click on the photo to open the Vimeo video)
The final film in a three-part series, Harvest of Pride: Seeds of Hope focuses on the unexpected opportunities for Latino immigrant entrepreneurs. Putting aside the negative hot button topics, there is a community of families and individuals trying to be productive, innovative and part of a new community.
Using food as a blueprint, Huerto de la Familia recently launched a micro-enterprise program to provide training and one-on-one business counseling for families interested in creating businesses related to food and agriculture.
Harvest of Pride: Seeds of Hope is about creating opportunities for families to achieve stability and a good quality of life. But in addition to making an impact economically, there is is an emphasis on the desire to promote community consciousness-raising through organic and environmentally responsible food-based businesses. And throughout it all, families are finding themselves with greater opportunities to make money and become a part of the ever-evolving local food culture and community. (click on the photo to open the Vimeo video)
Gifts to the Presbyterian Hunger Program and One Great Hour of Sharing help support Huerto and many other initiatives globally geared toward building self-reliance and healthy, prosperous communities. If you live near Eugene, call up Huerto to see learn about volunteering opportunities at (541) 255-6120.