Vote!
We submitted our first ever “vote-for-us” campaign. There have been many things to come out of it. But one thing is:
It helps to have a huge email database!
Don’t get me wrong, it has been fantastic to receive such support from our dedicated folks and be reminded of how people appreciate what we are doing…along with getting a chance to spread the word to several more people. That has been nothing short of great.
It’s the campaigning and realization that some of the time, you can have a pretty neat thing you’re doing, but without ready access to big numbers of people to vote, there’s a lot of “campaigning” to do. There are a lot of proposals to read! Even I have only been able to read about a third of them in our category of 60. (I intend to read them all, because they deserve that.)
But really, no sour grapes here. No way. It’s simply a realization that these platforms work best for groups with large followings or ones that can quickly energize numbers to compete with those large groups. The difficulty (sometimes) is that smaller groups already have limited resources to commit to such a campaign. Of course, there are examples of small groups getting something going and going viral in an effort. Of course there are! It is finding that one compelling image, story, video that takes your issue from relative obscurity to superstardom! It’s a different kind of race, really.
So, yes, there have been many things to come out of this. Lest this comes off as negative or defeatist, there’s this:
More people see the value and are behind this project…momentum! People are asking us about how to create a fair food system and how to bring more food to low income communities and how to take charge of food production.
The project is actually in progress. There is food GROWING and being shared on site and it is getting notice by and inquiry from neighbors who live in the community. They are asking how they can grow at their homes. It’s incredible and this is what we’ve wanted.
We’re growing at the Ghettostead.
There are many among us that want to do things that are meaningful and some of us are unrelentingly compelled to do so. With Original Green, we at home&community inc are aiming for multiple hundreds (dare we dream thousands!) of households served, but even serving 10, 20, 50 has been worthwhile. That’s 10, 20, 50 families that are eating better and feeling better and reviving their community.
A fair food system, more access and increased decision making. That’s our primary race. And we’re already hitting that trifecta of food justice, food security and food sovereignty. Oh, and we haven’t given up the campaign by any stretch. There’s still time to vote.
home&community inc 