Picking up where we left off last week

So basically, I have a bit more news on another one of my articles in Miami New Times. I also want to share some other things that have been keeping me busy these last few months.

Similar to last week’s encouraging news about Chef Chris Valdes being inspired by my article to teach the students at Camillus House, the story published about Finca Morada and Grow Roots Miami also had a great end result. Click here to read it.

First some background on Finca Morada. It’s one of many small urban farms around Miami doing great things in “food deserts,” a term to describe neighborhoods where fresh food is difficult to find.

Finca Morada (or Purple Farm), founded by Chris Bouza is located just minutes from my house, in the heart of North Miami. There, they grow plenty of fruits, vegetables and herbs in what seems like a very small plot of land, but they make it work. They also collect food scraps for composting from anyone who wants to come by. I was dropping mine off for several months until I decided to start my own compost bin at home. We’ll see how that turns out (that could be another blog post!)

Jorge Palacios and Chris Bouza are all smiles at Finca Morada. Photo by Brett Vaughn.

Because the residents at Finca Morada are so caring, they share their knowledge of gardening, composting and more at free workshops they host on site. Probably their most important work is their program with Grow Roots Miami where they build edible home gardens for community members and families.

Grow Roots Miami is a community program supported by a variety of local farmers and the main home garden builders are Chris and Jorge Palacios, founder of Plant Philosophy and co-founder of Green Haven Community Garden in Overtown. Together, they build raised beds and food forests in urban neighborhoods.

I was so proud to give Finca Morada and their programs much deserved “ink” in the New Times and I was ecstatic when I ran into Chris at an event recently and she told me that because of my article, they received a much-needed grant.

News like that keeps me motivated to keep doing what I’m doing because I have to be honest, I write stories and always hope people are reading them. I guess they are!

Besides writing, I’ve been spending more time than normal in the kitchen, especially on Thursday mornings when I prepare 25 individual meals for the feeding ministry at St. James Baptist Church in Coconut Grove. I found out about this program from Karen Beber, the founder of OOjEE App, a great service for discounts at restaurants all around Miami and where they also help feed people, like those at St. James.

This week, I made baked chicken thigh with my special sauce, roasted carrots and potatoes and parmesan bread for St. James Baptist Church.

Karen is great, she comes to the house each Thursday to pick up the meals and she’s always so appreciative of the donation, as is Pastor Williams. It is hard work but oh so gratifying. As soon as I’m done and Karen’s made the pick up I’m already thinking about what to make the following week.

And lastly, I’ve been giving out these little “You Matter” cards, something I discovered through the Daily Good newsletter I receive in my inbox. You Matter Marathon was founded by Cheryl Rice and their vision statement is simple: “We envision a world where individuals naturally and regularly affirm the significance and value of one another.”

A little You Matter card, I actually handed a few out this afternoon when I was leaving the beach.

I simply download the template from their website, print out a sheet or two of business sized cards that read “You Matter,” cut them out and keep them in my purse. This way, I can hand them out to people at random, whenever the mood strikes or if it seems like someone could use the uplifting message.

It may seem like a “weird” thing to do but you have to start somewhere and take that first step in helping someone.

Cheryl Rice actually did a Ted Talk which I watched and it was very enlightening and truly heartfelt. Click here to view the Ted Talk.

That’s it for this week, we’ll see what transpires in the week ahead. I’ve definitely got more stories to share about amazing people doing amazing things in the community. Let’s see who I decide to highlight next Friday.

Until then…be well. Much love and peace.