Des Moines Volunteers for the Community and Small Farmers

     It wasn't even half way through July and Des Moines Oxfam Action Corps had volunteered at two events and tabled at the Drake Farmers Market in support of the GROW Campaign. This is the momentum and enthusiasm we love to see coming from our Action Corps cities as the GROW Campaign takes root across the US and worldwide. Oxfam officially launched the GROW Campaign in June 2011.

Action Corps Organizers Cathy Vrentas and Stephen Lauer
collecting donations for the DMARC Red Barrel Program.

     The first event was volunteering in the Des Moines suburb, Ankeny, with Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) and their Red Barrel Program. These red barrels are in local grocery stores to collect food items to stock the DMARC Emergency Food Pantries, along with accepting cash contributions toward the program. The Action Corps volunteered at a 'Sack Saturday,' which encourages not only monetary and  food donations, but also the more valuable donation of  'hunger sacks,' $5.00 grocery bags containing the most needed items. Stephen and Amy, Oxfam Action Corps Organizers wrote: "We got the results from our efforts on Saturday...drum roll....717 food items collected and $155.68 in cash." The DMARC representative told the Des Moines Oxfam Action Corps: "That is an exceptionally high food collection, even for that store, so you should be very pleased with the results. We are!" The Des Moines Oxfam Action Corps wants to thank all of the volunteers that came out to help! And a BIG thank you to the generous folks in Ankeny for donating items/money.

100 pounds of green beans picked by the Des Moines Action Corps.

     A couple days later, the Action Corps headed to St. Timothy's Faith and Grace church garden in West Des Moines for their second event to harvest vegetables. Last year St. Timothy's donated 4,000 pounds of fresh, organic, local vegetables to feed local hungry people. Their goal this year is to donate 10,000 pounds of these vegetables. What a perfect fit with the GROW Campaign's five-point plan for the United States to immediately take action to reduce food insecurity. Point one states: invest in small-scale food producers. What if the people who grew the world's food actually had enough to feed themselves and earn a living? We need to make sure the US Government supports programs related to this point and ensures the Feed the Future initiative will live up to its principles. 
    Results from the harvest: 100 pounds of green beans and 84 ears of sweet corn picked in 2 hours by 5 Oxfam Action Corps volunteers. Way to go! Many thanks to all who came out.
    
    Tonight, July 26, Oxfam America Agriculture Advocacy Lead, Jim French, will be in Des Moines at Smokey Row Coffee shop on Cottage Grove Avenue at 7:00 PM CDT, sharing information and discussing food and agricultural policy within the US and globally. All are welcome to attend!

From left to right, five Des Moines Oxfam Action Corps volunteers with their yield:
Amy Luebbert, Lance Massey, Stephen Lauer, Lucas McMillan, and Joanna Winston.