A lesson about Fertilizer from Father Frank

So yesterday was such an action packed day that I hardly know where to begin. I had lunch at Eden Alley with a great group of you, and an uncooking class in the evening with Rachel Francassa (www.lemonsinthekitchen). However, it is a morning conversation with a priest that sticks out the most in my mind.

Father Frank from Saint John the Baptist on Strawberry hill came in to the warehouse yesterday morning for his weekly visit and to pick up the leftover produce to take to the poor. Father Frank doesn’t speak very much, but sits and listens quite a bit. He comes to the warehouse once a week to pick up leftover produce, and to check on the people that work at the warehouse (I have the feeling that they all go “way back”).
I pulled up the news blurb from Channel 9 news, and showed it to him. His eyes were filled with pride like no one but a father could have. He then decided to tell me about growing up on a farm, completely organic of course because there was no other way to grow food when he was young. Then, with great sadness he told me about post world war 2 farming. He conveyed the very inconvenient truth that commercial fertilizers became a big deal after World War 2 because the government had to keep the people working that had jobs at nitrogen factories formerly used to make explosives. It is hard to convey through one dimensional communication the sadness in his voice. However, I truly got the feeling that he felt oppressed in a free country when he was speaking of how the nitrogen fertilizer was explosive, and people got hurt just by farming. But then again, aren’t we all oppressed in a free country when we choose to follow what is main stream instead of using our minds to make decisions based on what is best in line with our values? After he left I did a bit more research about this topic, and found a very informational article at http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe40s/crops_04.html.
I am intrigued to more of his story now- how did he go from farmer to priest?

One Among Many

Within a few hours all of you should get an email regarding the merge of Clark’s Organic Market and Door to Door Organics, and I wanted to let you know what this means for us as a community, and the part you all have played in it.

Clark’s Organic Market has evolved from a small storefront in Excelsior Springs, MO to a community of 300 strong making a difference in our community and our world. We are a testament that one joined together with many can affect the prosperity of all.

With all the saddening economic news, and political woes in our world, it is easy to push the topics of sustainability to the foreground even if those very topics are way out of the current situation we find ourselves in. However, we as a collective group have been able to forge ahead and stand up for the values we believe in. By purchasing organic products grown, made and produced by real people we have formed a coalition against big corporate farms that think because they have lots of money, cheap labor, and scientist in a lab coming up with concoctions to cut corners, that they can take over our food system. Instead we have stood behind the real people that understand that farming is hard work and they have a responsibility to the land we have borrowed from the next generation. We, as a group, have sent a message to Monsanto that we shall not allow them to remove the seeds our forbearers saved and cultivated for thousands of years from existence.

Together we have proved that when our government fails us, and gives subsidies to large corporate farms without regarding to the negative impacts they have on our world as a whole, that we will stand up for social justice by buying from our neighbors!

We have and will continue to create a culture of people that rewards hard work and stands behind real people, eating real food, produced in a sustainable way.

We will now be joined with Door to Door Organics owned by David Gersenson, the son of a midwife, father of 2 year old Shiloh, and husband of a lovely lady named Theresa. With this joint venture we will be able to give our customers more bang for their buck so good food will be available across more economic classes. We will be able to leverage our buying power of customers based across the country to stand behind the “little guy.”

Without you, I would be one standing alone, but instead I am one among many, and for that you will have my enduring gratitude.

With sincere appreciation.
Lucinda Clark