Happy Thanksgiving!
We're reaching out to our supporters to ask that they support Buy Nothing Day this coming Black Friday (which has also been rebranded as Occupy Xmas). While supporting local volunteer organizations is not on the list of approved activities by Adbusters or Wikipedia, we believe it is an amazing way to give thanks while not adhering to the Buy Nothing edict. In fact, it's the opposite of buying...it's giving! Why be passive when you can be active. We are rebranding the Friday after Thanksgiving as Give Something!
Please consider supporting new youth farmer internships and youth employment opportunities at the Youth Farm. Go to the Green Guerillas site to donate what you can. Tell your families about our programs and invite them to donate what they can. (Make sure you designate your gift to the HSPS Youth Farm.) Our youth farmers want to grow! You can check out some of our Youth Programs on the blog. Or a video from last year's Youth Farmer Employment Program.
Whenever there is a natural disaster like Hurricane Sandy, it is so apparent how much we have to be grateful for. While so many people are back to business as usual, there are still thousands whose lives have been upturned. While we only lost a small amount of produce & equipment from hurricane damage, we rely on this income to fund our youth programs on site. We believe that sustainable farming practices like ours are critical in climate discussions and local food security.
If you would like other ideas for how to give this Buy Nothing/Give Something day to more directly support Hurricane Sandy efforts, we recommend donating to Brooklyn Community Foundation Recovery Fund for Emergency Grants to community organizations helping with Sandy relief. Community groups on the ground are so effective with their flexibility to get aid where it's needed most.
Give Thanks on Thursday and don't forget to Give Something this Friday to someone who needs it.
