LFS350/Projects/2021-Term2/LettuceHarvest

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Important Course Pages

Overview

Project Title

Food Justice Knowledge Sharing with Lettuce Harvest Foundation

Organization Name

Lettuce Harvest Foundation

Keywords

Related Course Concepts

Food justice, Food security, Asset-based community development, Social class/income inequality, Cultural identities, Racism, Colonialism, Indigenous food sovereignty

Organization Information

Organization Name

Lettuce Harvest Foundation

Mission and Vision of Organization

Lettuce Harvest is a registered non-profit based in East Vancouver that sees increasing local production of fruits and vegetables as one of the best ways to create resilient, climate friendly communities. Our model redefines the typical idea of a community garden, by focusing on working collectively. Using front and back yard space donated by community members, we help volunteer gardeners work together to produce a harvest. This food is then distributed amongst the neighbourhood volunteers and homeowners, with all excess food being donated to local community groups feeding those most in need. Our work draws heavily on the principles of climate justice and sees local food production as a way to bypass many of the negative impacts of the industrial food system. As I’m sure you are well aware, the negative impacts of agriculture on the environment branch far beyond the horrors of animal agriculture. Globally, a forced reliance on patented seeds and petroleum-based inputs create a system of dependency, where the most marginalized communities are the ones most at risk of harm from environmental contaminants, lack of access to healthy food and the consequences of climate change. By localizing our food system, we can simultaneously build food security in the face of crisis, foster a sense of resilience by connecting community members, and help make plant foods more accessible to those most in need.

Guiding Principles + Values

climate justice
food justice -
decolonial
anti-racism
equity
non-hierarchical
systems change approach
multi-generational
community care

Contact Information

Primary Contact Person(s): Zoe Beynon-MacKinnon
Email: [[1]]
Phone: 778 866 4084
Address: 2375 E 11th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5N 5N4
Website: www.lettuceharvesttogether.com

Preferred Method of Contact

Best method(s) to contact: Email, Slack (once students are assigned)
Best day(s) to contact:Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Students will be invited to join our slack page and free to message whenever they like. We will respond during business hours
Best time(s) to contact: Mornings, Afternoons

Preferred Platform(s) for Remote Collaboration

No

Project Description

Context: What challenge or issue does the project aim to address?

Lettuce Harvest works in the intersection of climate and food justice. While the primary focus of our work is on helping establish communal growing plots on front and and backyards, we want to expand our support and education for folks that can't make it out to our Community Farmyards. To do this, we're asking students to create visual learning material (infographics/posters/fliers/videos) that can be shared online through our website and social channels. At a minimum we'd like to have infographics produced for our website and social channels, though depending on interest and background of the students we're also open to videos. At its core our work focuses on social and environmental justice, and as such it is important to us that students have a comprehensive understanding of structural inequality. Our work focuses on empowering folks through peer to peer knowledge and resource sharing, prioritizing mutual aid over charity.

Main Project Activities

Observe Lettuce Harvest Staff Meeting
Research Food and Climate Justice

Expected Project Deliverable(s)

3 infographics (large form for website)
3 Broken down infographics (for social media)

Intended Project Outcome

Community members feel better prepared to grow their own food
Community members better understand the connections between climate and food justice

Student Assets and Skills (preferred or required

Preferred Skills and Assets	Design, visual editing, film editing, Strong Writer
Required Skills and Assets	knowledge of structural inequalities, comfortable working in a small, committed team
Helpful Additional Language Skills	Second Language (writing) very strong asset

Student Assets and Skills (to be developed through the project)

Project development
Communicating with dynamic team
Engaging with the public
Non-academic information sharing
Creating effective educational tools

Are there any mandatory attendance dates (e.g. special event)?

N/A

Is a criminal record search (CRS) required?

No

If a criminal record search is required, when should the process be initiated?

N/A

Preferred Days of Week and Hours

N/A

Related Community Service Opportunities for Students

N/A

Required Reading

Project/Partner Orientation Materials

Students should review these materials prior to the first partner meeting:

Additional Project/Partner Orientation Materials

The following will be provided at the first community partner meeting:

We'll do a group Zoom call with the students and Lettuce Harvest team, as well as provide on boarding resources with details regarding our organization visual guidelines.

Expected Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

I hope students will learn about...

urban food production

I think students will come to appreciate...

all the amazing parts of nature that make food production possible!

Through this project, students will develop...

understanding of the industrial food system - who it serves and who it leaves behind

Organizational Outcomes

How does the student project contribute to your organization's mission and long-term vision?

making resources regarding food production, climate and food justice accessible to the general public.

Guidelines

Create Your Wiki Page

Past Projects

Help and Resources

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