Hi Everyone,

On January 9th, the New York Chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA-NY) kicked off their Winter Conference with an opening reception that was made possible with the help of my local community. I had volunteered to provide the food for what had started out as a small, VIP reception for some of our donors and partners, but which ended up being a reception that all 300 attendees were invited to, free of charge!! I was in a conundrum. As a board member, I wanted to give the reception as a gift, but there was no way I could make all the food by myself, and I didn’t have the budget to pay everyone. I put the word out to my community, and the response was amazing. Some people came for a few hours, and other people came for many days in a row to help me get the job done. I felt so supported, and the food we created was imbued with the love of community. I think everyone at the conference could feel it. Of course we made more food than we needed, so I had the honor of donating all of the leftovers to Community Solidarity’s Hempstead Food Share on Sunday, where more people got to enjoy the festivities!  I was on a high for days following the event!  Thank you to all of my friends who helped!

I happened to be watching football this past Sunday, and loved that on the backs of the NFL helmets, it said, “Choose Love” What a beautiful thing to promote, especially in these times where there feels like there is so much hate. It turns out it is part of the NFL’s campaign to Inspire Change, and to promote empathy, unity, and shared humanity, reflecting on Dr. King’s values against violence and hate. Let’s all spread the love!