From Ashes to Meals— local farm helps feed wildfire evacuees
During the first few days of of the 2020 Oregon wildfires, all production at Gathering Together Farm ceased to a halt as workers stayed home for their safety. With markets cancelled and a glut of fresh organic produce that had already been harvested that we didn’t want to go to waste, we connected with local organizations to be a part of mutual aid efforts getting warm meals to the hundreds of wildfire evacuees that came to Benton county in need.
Our efforts, combined with the efforts of so many other local farms and kitchens, came together to feed our community. Despite the dystopian color of the sky and the uncertainty to follow in the coming days, there was such beauty in the way the community came together. It was such a pleasure and a privilege to participate and simply witness people at work.
A big thanks to Forks & Corks Catering and It’s On Us Corvallis for organizing the majority of the efforts we were able to participate in! Via the organizing power of social media, It’s On Us Corvallis, who “pays local restaurants to make meals for the community,” launched a campaign in response to the influx of wildfire evacuees that was simple and effective:
It’s On Us Corvallis + Local Restaurants + Local Farmers = Evacuee Meals
With markets cancelled and the majority of employees at home while we secured respirators for everyone, we had a glut of fresh harvested organic produce and were just looking to donate it, but It’s On Us Corvallis got the funding together to make sure that both the local restaurants making meals and the local farmers supplying them got paid for their work. This was an example of local mutual aid that helped not only the wildfire evacuees, but local farmers and local businesses as well.
Follow @forksandcorkscatering and @itsonus_corvallis on Instagram to learn more.
