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  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Fwd: [SANET-MG] Please help save Oklahoma's Market Bakery
  • Date: Mon, 04 Oct 2010 21:23:49 -0400

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [SANET-MG] Please help save Oklahoma's Market Bakery
Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 11:57:19 -0500
From: Robert Waldrop <bwaldrop@COX.NET>
To: SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU

This is Save the Market-Bakery week here in Oklahoma.

April Harrington has done a lot for the Oklahoma Food Coop as our
treasurer, and as a producer of innovative products that feature local
food ingredients under her Earth Elements Market Bakery brand. Several
of our producers rent her commercial kitchen to produce their own
products, she buys "number 2" produce and items left over after market
days, and thus is an indispensable link on our growing local food
system. Joel Salatin says that she has one of the most innovative
market approaches to local foods, and that he isn't aware of anyone
doing exactly what she is doing for local food. In fact, he told me
personally that she should "franchise" her model so that others can
learn from her experience.

She has built an earth friendly building for her bakery, with many
features common to "green" building projects.

Alas, her bakery is soon-to-be-destroyed by the Oklahoma Department of
Transportation, in order to widen a highway. The state is making low
ball offers, not even enough to pay off the mortgage, much less rebuild
her building. At risk is her livelihood, the jobs of 8 employees, the
businesses of several other producers dependent upon her commercial
kitchen, perhaps as many as 50 farmers and market gardeners from whom
she buys produce, and access to her delicious products from many
hundreds of customers. To see a list of the incredible array of her
products, go to http://www.oklahomafood.coop/shop/producers/earth.php
and scroll down to her product list. Her farm website is
http://www.earthelementsfarm.com/ .

She is the real deal.

Read more about this at my Monday morning bobaganda at
http://bobaganda.blogspot.com/2010/10/save-market-bakery.html , with
details about how you can help April rebuild her bakery in spite of this
monstrous injustice.

She is using kickstarter.com to raise funds to rebuild the bakery, no
matter what the final offer from the state is. If you are already
convinced, and want to help, skip the bobaganda and go to
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/320205243/earth-elements-local-food-community-kitchen
where you can view a short video about the Market Bakery and make a
pledge. Pledge's aren't collected until the campaign is fully funded.

This is of interest to the national food security community because of
the innovative nature of April's business, and the opportunity for it to
serve as a model for others. And as they say down on the picket line --
an injury to one is an injury to all. I know times are hard, but no one
need bet the farm on this, many small pledges add up quickly. Please
tell your friends.

Bob Waldrop, one of the founders of the Oklahoma Food Cooperative
http://www.oklahomafood.coop
http://bobaganda.blogspot.com




  • [permaculture] Fwd: [SANET-MG] Please help save Oklahoma's Market Bakery, Lawrence F. London, Jr., 10/04/2010

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