Our mission at m.a.m.a. earth is promote art, music and nature to make a change for the better. We also do our best to shine a light on non-profit organizations that our doing good work all over the world. Since 2008, m.a.m.a. earth and resident papa Eugene Cooke, have been creating events, classes and workshops around the topic of urban gardening and the local food movement.
Gillian Poe, founder of OC Food Access, attended one of our early lectures in 2009 as she prepared to take a leap of faith as she said goodbye to the corporate world and fulfill her vision of philanthropy and community service centered around food justice – the basic human right that everyone deserves access to good, nutritious and affordable food. OC Food Access believes one step in reaching that goal is to start right in our own backyard, literally!
From Gillian Poe:
“With the incredibly rich soils, ample sunlight and long growing season, Orange County [California] is the ideal place to grow food in an urban setting. Whether it’s community spaces, corporate parks or residential backyards, we are blessed to be able to cultivate a substantial bounty of fresh, healthy food for ourselves and our residents in need. Just last year, The Harvest Club of Orange County gleaned 12 tons of food from homeowners’ fruit trees, that would have other wise gone to waste, but instead went to feed the hungry.
With our Harvesting Orange County initiative, we make use of the abundance of fresh food already growing in our community while also encouraging homeowners and corporate partners to grow more produce that can be shared with those in need. Through the simple act of growing food and sharing it, we build community, celebrate the gifts of the land and our agricultural history, and help strengthen the health and wealth of our community.”
Recently, Eugene Cooke has been fortunate to have the opportunity to assist in developing The Nisson Orchard, affectionately called L’Avocat. It is a beautiful example of how one homeowner is making a big difference in the community. Aerielle, grandaughter and caregiver to L’Avocat homeowner Alice, has invited OC Food Access and m.a.m.a. earth into her backyard – over an acre of overgrown orchard with well over 100 citrus, avocado and nut trees – to help her bring the land back to its most productive state and create opportunities for community members to help in the process. The Harvest Club organizes volunteer teams to harvest the fruit and vegetables she grows and donates them to organizations in the area that feed the hungry.
As so many generations before us have demonstrated, our land can nourish us, and we must create opportunities to build local food systems that create access to healthy food. This is just one example of many in our local and global communities in which homeowners are opening up their backyards to volunteers and serving others in need.
Stay tuned for more updates about m.a.m.a. earth’s work with urban farmer Eugene Cooke at L’Avocat Orchard and check out his amazing book to inspire you in your own community!
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