Today, we have an interview with a true community maven…
As we’ve traveled, we’re really only met a few of these amazing people who not only speak about amazing things… but actually do them.
Charlotte Gerson, Katrina Blair and–today’s hero–Tree are amazing examples of what we can do to help our communities and the people who live there.
Tree provides free food for The Mission neighborhood in San Francisco.
Take a look…
Your question of the day: What could you do in your community?
Click here, scroll down to the bottom of the page and leave your comments now!
To find out more about Tree and his initiative, visit his site… www.FreeFarmStand.org
Live Awesome!
Kev
7:20 pm on August 18th, 2009
This is amazing! This exact idea came to me this week and I have been scouting around to find out who is throwing their produce away. Found out the local chain store throws bread away daily. So much waste in the world when there is so much need. I know what I will start doing will be so small but if I could at least start then I hope it will take off from there. So hats off to you for your dedicated work in helping the hungry! Any ideas would be helpful. I will try farmers market,citrus growers,etc… I am in Az. Lisa
8:08 pm on August 18th, 2009
What an awesome video! Tree, you are an inspiration. We have had a couple of fundraisers at work where leftovers have been donated to local ‘Hope’ centres
Arohanui
8:43 pm on August 18th, 2009
Tree & what he does is amazing & I’m all for it – he is also a crack-up – he’s all soft-spoken & is talking about the city being bankrumpt so the funds must come from fed stimulus – he’s a natural comedian.
OK, what I’ve been doing is: everywhere I go & get a chance, I talk to people about the related concepts of animal rights, veganism, and raw foods – about living a more compassionate life, about reducing animal products and processed foods, about increasing intake of fresh, ripe, raw, organic, plant-based produce & superfoods, in the gym about switching from whey to hemp protein – all week I’ve been giving out sample packs of Brendan Brazier’s Vega that Robert Cheeke gave me to thank me for working the Vega booth at Veggie Fest – I love Sun Warrior, too – last night I spent about half an hour with each of three different people, all personal fitness trainers or body-builders, talking to them about the importance of nutrition in addition to fitness for themselves and their clients and about the atrocities of animal agriculture & the dangers of vaccines. Some don’t want to hear it – they need their meat apparently & animal products in their shots – and they’re happy with their cheeseburgers – but the ones I reached out to last night couldn’t get enough. Over and over, I’m writing down, on a scrap paper, all the websites they MUST join & view (my top 3 are renegadehealth, naturalnews, & meetup.com for community support) – I share my story & of course write down Angela Stokes’ website (rawreform) as she was my catalyst. I write down all the appliances they may want to purchase (blender, juicer, food processor, dehydrator – cutting board, knife) along with the prices & where to purchase them (discountjuicers, etc.) along with some brief instructions (shop mainly produce section) & recipe page links & sites – I write down names of ppl to google/read from David Wolfe to Paul Nison; from Jameth Sheridan to Norman Walker; from Robert Cheeke to Cherie Soria; from Fred Bisci to Viktorus Kulvinkas, etc. etc. I need to write this all down & keep xerox copies on me in the future cause I spend too much time writing! I do this all the time everywhere I go, reaching one person at a time.
I also love to share info about distance running, martial arts, dancing, and I love networking for other ppl – making connections. If only I knew how to do this blog thing or could figure out how to work those flip cameras to make a YouTube….
What’s amazing is when you give, you get back even more in gratitude – ppl give me produce from their gardens since I live in a cement world & just are so gracious. I just love Tree’s program. Thanks for sharing!
9:02 pm on August 18th, 2009
Hi Kevin and Annmarie:
Another stimulating and inspirational show!
Being a former resident of the Bay area, I can vouch for all of the produce that goes to waste from fruit trees in backyards.
There are 3 things I like most about Tree’s service project:
1. Many have been inspired to act and expand on the theme
2. He distributes Organic produce
3. Actively promotes local growing and sharing of food
I will share the news with my Bay Area network and encourage more hands to grow.
My contribution to my San Diego community is silent at the moment…I am focusing on walking my talk and limiting my rubbish, eating raw and organic, and practicing conservation. Next…I want to bring myself and other adults back to nature by returning them to nature to forage, garden, and connect with the elements. So much wisdom and intelligence abounds. I envision an Elementary School for Explorations in Natural Living that meets after school and on weekends. An extension of the Elementary School for Science I loved so much as a kid in San Diego. If not here, in Vilcabama.
All a’glow…
Dawni
9:04 pm on August 18th, 2009
What a great initiative this is really inspiring!
9:05 pm on August 18th, 2009
Back home in Zimbabwe my domestic worker, Edison, and I grew organic vegies and fancy lettuces. We sold the lettuces and herbs to local coffee shops, so he earned quite a bit of extra money, and all the other vegies fed my three domestic workers and their large families and some of the other families( domestic workers) in the neighbourhood. In Zimbabwe, in the affluent suburbs people have huge gardens and employ domestic workers to live on the property in a small basic house. Their wages are very low, certainly not enough to feed themselves on, and yet the majority refuse to let their workers grow even a small amount of food. These guys try and grow food anywhere they can in urban areas, a random tomato plant that pops up in a flower bed is sacred!! Now I live in Australia for the moment, and I miss my vegie patch and the knowledge that it helped out a few families, but it will again one day!
9:53 pm on August 18th, 2009
Hello Kevin
Thank you for sharing this with us.
if every body will do what this gentleman is doing we should be able to fight hunger without ant problems. The proble is that we live in a society that all it thinks is about money.
Thank you
Rafael Morales Jr
9:55 pm on August 18th, 2009
What would I do for my comunity?
Iam helping as much as I can.
Helping others in my comunity here in Keene, TX
10:05 pm on August 18th, 2009
Do you possibly mean, how do I motivate a generation of local ignorant couch potatos to get off of their lazy a###es and do something for themselves, which would facilitate an easy soltion to the problem of food and low food standards, cooked or not ??? I guess I will pray for the collapse of the economy and laugh all the way to my garden… Bill Farver
10:11 pm on August 18th, 2009
Awesome! I live in the Bay Area and didn’t know about Tree’s program so I’m really proud that we have it. Many times I’ve wondered what people could do when I see trees with rotting fruit on the ground.
And the supermarket waste – I hadn’t thought about composting! We also could also use the soft (but not moldy) fruit/veggies in smoothies or raw pies I suppose.
Thanks for posting!
10:16 pm on August 18th, 2009
I have been doing a raw food group in my community. I did that in the spring and now I am learning about Western Herbalism and sharing that with people. I reached out to a friend today that is diabetic and told her about a Gabriel Cousens new book I have been reading. “There is a cure for diabetes” When I am done reading it a am going to loan it out to her to read too. I want to be a raw food chef someday and have my own restaurant, or cafe. I love listening to these videos Kevin, keep up the good work and keep them coming.
Melody
10:49 pm on August 18th, 2009
Hey Kevin, I would have liked to see his stand! My dh has a fruit farm and we donate to the Cleveland Foodbank on occasion.
I do my part by teaching about nutrition via Uncooking Classes to kids and adults. I charge a small fee – just enough to cover food.
Am considering writing a letter to be distributed to the Amish community in my area to educate them about the powers of raw foods and REAL foods as I am saddened by seeing so many of them following the SAD, with obesity etc.
Mary Kay in Ohio
11:27 pm on August 18th, 2009
A free farm stand. Free Teaching and growing of forest gardens. Building nature houses in the mountains with rainforest gardens around them to help people reconnect with nature and show them another way of life.
11:46 pm on August 18th, 2009
I’m glad he got some speaking experience. He may need it more than I do ;^) . I couldn’t help but notice he MAY have used a different word than he intended: what he described is “socialism”, not “Communism”. With that change I agree we need to focus more socially. Well fiscally as well really. These days people, especially most broadcast TV viewers (a broad statement I know), are going around scared and have trouble understanding giving when they are being convinced they’re grabbing for scraps. I think Kevin’s right, we should live awesome (I interpret that to mean developing an instinct toward positive thinking, since a state of awe is emotionally well), and I really don’t see negativity where it seems so many others seem to. I guess part of it is I avoid “news” diligently unless I ask for it on a site like this. I find out almost instantly about anything important from another human being. The “unique feature” of web page log on screens, gateways, and especialy homepages and email sign in pages is the news updates. When my email started pasting the log on screen with the latest “news” and an overload of like content it was touted as something that is helpful, useful, and even unique! Even after paying for an upgrade I still get Michael Jackson pictures with news blurbs every time I see my home page. The images are worse than the dialog sometimes. I stay positive still though, and have to laugh as information overload is still confused with tools, usefulness, and technological features. It’s not in vain finding it funny though; because, I see it as a reminder of the vast resources we have and what tiny changes in the right place could help change our world for the better. Help the world and your sanity and avoid these biased (toward negativity and hype) “features” as much as possible. Avoid commercials, most importantly the most mainstream, find quiet, and help yourself. Then you will be better equipped (or find out you already are) to help others. Okay, I guess this was a bit off topic in some ways; however, I feel that speech and messages can be organic, or non-organic as well. Maybe if we can help ourselves to better emotional stability the New Victory Gardens will be in every neighborhood soon!
11:53 pm on August 18th, 2009
My kids and I watched the video and got so excited by the idea of having our own farm stand with very affordable, fresh organic, home grown veggies. We just started a small garden this year and can’t believe that we get fresh greens for our smoothies and salads everyday! We have an acre and could really have a much bigger garden to feed LOTS of people fruits and veggies very affordably. Whatever is leftover at the end of the day can go to the local foodbank. What a blessing to get organic food at a food bank.
4:48 am on August 19th, 2009
What a great idea, what a great guy.
8:35 am on August 19th, 2009
Thanks for spreading the word. It’s so amazing what people are doing out there to help each other.
I’ve just started volunteering with a group here in Toronto, Canada: http://www.notfarfromthetree.org/
It’s a residential fruit picking program – one third each goes to a local community group, the volunteers who pick the tree and the tree owner. The community portion of the fruit picked in my area supports a community lunch program. We’ve had lots of fun preserving/canning some of this produce.
These days when I walk past neighbourhood gardens I’m thinking ‘why don’t they put in veggies instead of flowers?’. Of course ornamental plants are still lovely, but think of how much food we could share if everyone with a garden utilised their space for veggies and fruit?!!
Have a great day!
10:02 am on August 19th, 2009
the number of times I have been inspired by a poster on a public notice board on spiritual leaders / healthy habits has really changed my life.
12:45 pm on August 19th, 2009
Tree is an authentic person. And Michael, he’s right to speak of ‘communism.’ Socialism, simply put: from each as able, to each by work. Communism: from each as able, to each as needed. He’s just sharing, not allocating by work. He also likes communal gardens better than private. We mustn’t fear words the ‘Powers That Feed’ call naughty. And his remark about how the current dying system turned food into a commodity would please Karl Marx.
For us, at the start, let’s support co-ops that share outside the coop community. Let’s ourselves share with neighbors (who isn’t my neighbor?).
And where do we get stuff to share? Grow it where you can, in do-it-yourself self-watering pots if that’s all you have. (And you do have more, don’t you.) And with those neighbors you get to know, share with others nearby that you don’t know at all well, maybe didn’t want to know.
Each dollar you don’t waste on a multi-national corporation or some grasping distant firm to misuse, can go to sharing of things and ideas in widening spirals, till we learn- at long long last- to SHARE THE WORLD!
1:42 pm on August 19th, 2009
Kevin you are awesome!
Chris and I were noticing here on Maui that A TON of fruit goes to waste all over the island. We are going to put something together where we will collect unused, unpicked fruits and get them out to the public, that would otherwise go to waste. We also want to work with children and get them involved in growing and sharing the food with others.
If we educate ourselves about the growing of food, we can share the “heatlh” of information with others. We are going on another Farm Tour Saturday which will be fun and interesting, cant wait!
We have an amazing property that we live on here. There are huge papaya, banana orchards as well as plenty of gardening space. We are working to get it OVER producing and getting the overflow out to other people who are not growing.
If you are a member of Inner Circle, you can check out our videos on our page- Chris and Sara or Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
ALOHA ~
2:48 pm on August 19th, 2009
My church started a food bank in July. Every Saturday our members and neighbors bring our extra garden produce to church for people in need to pick up from 10-2. Any leftovers on Sunday get taken to another towns food bank.
3:33 pm on August 19th, 2009
I’ve often thought that I would like to organize a group that would go around at the end of the day and collect food from places like Whole Foods, or other markets and coop delis, that is mostly organic and still fresh, but being thrown away because it isn’t fresh enough to sell, then distribute at one location, or even deliver to people in need.
3:35 pm on August 19th, 2009
Would have loved if you guys had gotten a shot of the guys stand and the neighborhood!
3:35 pm on August 19th, 2009
In MI. it’s illegal to buy raw milk but it’s ok if you buy into a cow/goat share. Many can’t afford it so I got the idea that instead of having a “cow/goat share”, some one with too much milk from their personal cow/goats could have a “work share”. Then it could be organized to member’s having a certain day to take care of the animals and take home free milk. That way the owner’s of the animals could have some free time for themselves and someone else could have some free organic raw milk!
You don’t work, you don’t eat.
7:32 pm on August 19th, 2009
Nice to know about Tree, he is a great gift to the community.
We are fortunate to have a group in Portland that picks fruit from trees where the fruit would otherwise go to waste. http://portlandfruit.org/
As for the question of the day, I just spent the afternoon with my neighbor creating signs for our Neighborhood yard sale which we are organizing together. Hope that counts.
Be well,
anabel
1:21 am on August 20th, 2009
Did this man say he is a supporter of Communism?
5:38 pm on November 28th, 2009
What tree is doing is amazing. More people in San Francisco could get involved by collecting the discarded food and feeding the homeless, which is what they do in New York. All the farmers market leftovers get shipped to shelters. SF needs more people like Tree to mobilize and help these homeless get back on their feet.