RESOURCES

We have harvested close to 1000 pounds of fruit and vegetables between our gardens at the CAC and the fruit trees at our guesthouse, Tepeyac. I expect to easily top the half-ton mark by Thanksgiving since our fall crops are just getting ready to be harvested and we will have five cold frames for growing greens all winter long.

Last winter when we were contemplating what to do with all of the produce that our new gardens would produce, many ideas were suggested: starting a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), selling some produce at the farmer's market, opening "Chuck's Charming Veggies" at the CAC, and giving produce to our neighbors were some of our better brainstorms. The idea that really got us excited and seemed to fit best with the CAC's mission was to donate our produce to people who most needed it and who had the least access to it.

We have been donating a majority of our homegrown, organic produce to two local shelters - Barrett House and Casa Los Arboles. Barrett House is a shelter for homeless and battered women and their children, and it provides food, clothing, shelter, counseling, job leads, and child day care while its clients work towards putting their lives back together. Casa Los Arboles is a nine month, residential, drug and alcohol treatment facility that also provides food, shelter, and clothing. When I called the two shelters mentioned above, both immediately said that they would love to receive produce from us and that fresh produce was the one thing that they often didn't have access to. I would like to thank all of you who have donated to the CAC garden fund for making all of this possible.

While it feels good to be donating some of our produce to two local shelters, I'm also aware of the wide spread hunger that exists in our state (the poorest), our country (the richest), and the world beyond my comfortable borders. As part of our Internship Programs, participants spend four days on the US-Mexico border learning about the social and economic realities there. I have facilitated these trips previously, and I also lived on the border in both El Paso and Juarez for almost two years. When the October group of CAC interns returned from their border awareness experience, I was reminded of the hunger and malnutrition that exists among many of the people who live in the colonias of Juarez in the shadow of the affluence of the United States.

Hearing stories about my friends at Las Mujeres de Esperanza y Fe (The Women of Hope and Faith, a women's center in a colonia of Juarez whose members graciously host our interns and staff while on the border awareness program), I kept thinking about their life situations, and I kept wondering how I might be able to reach out to them again in a helpful way. And then I met Hank Bruce and Tomi Jill Folk.

Hank and Tomi are affiliated with an organization called Hunger Grow Away. It is a non-profit organization that is seeking to end world hunger, not by sending food to people, but by sending people the necessary resources to grow some of their own food. This strategy - the poetic "Give a person a fish, feed that person for a day; teach the person how to fish, help them feed themselves for a lifetime" - intrigued me from the beginning. It is inherently empowering, in addition to being extremely successful.

At the heart of Hunger Grow Away's success in decreasing hunger and malnutrition is the Abundant Harvest Garden by Cellugro. When packaged for shipping or transporting the Abundant Harvest Garden weighs 38 lbs. and can fit into a medium sized duffle bag. This makes it fairly easy to carry to distant and often remote locations around the world. When set up the garden is a 4 foot by 4 foot micro-intensive growing system composed of 51 full cells and 24 half cells. If planted according to Hunger Grow Away's instructions (which leave plenty of variation for local plants, weather conditions, and individual tastes) the Abundant Harvest Garden can provide fresh, nutritious produce for a family of four. You may be as skeptical as I was, but I have checked out the Hunger Grow Away web site (www.hungergrowaway.com), I have seen the Abundant Harvest Garden in action (Hank and Tomi have garden's set up at their home in nearby Rio Rancho, NM), and I have asked endless questions. The technology is amazing, but it's also quite straight forward, and I must confess, it will be hard to ever double dig a garden bed after what I've witnessed!

Outside of my personal enthusiasm for the product, an exciting connection is being made between the Abundant Harvest Garden and friends in Juarez, Mexico. The women's center, as well as most of the surrounding homes, sits on top of the former Juarez dump. If you dig down 6 inches to try and put in a pipe for water or to plant a garden you will hit garbage. Since the Abundant Harvest Garden is a self-contained unit it can be set up almost anywhere (side yard, roof top, or on a dump!). In addition, the Abundant Harvest Garden needs only 20% of the water that traditional gardening/farming uses, so it is very appropriate for a place like Juarez (and Albuquerque) where water is scarce.

When I last talked with Sr. Donna, the founder of Las Mujeres, she immediately recognized the value in creating a program to get some Abundant Harvest Gardens down to the women's center and to the homes of its members. Many of the adults and children of Juarez are under-nourished, and fresh produce is a luxury rarely enjoyed. So, this fall, Isaac (a Mennonite Service Adventure year-long volunteer at the CAC) and I will be trained to set-up, plant, care for, and harvest the Abundant Harvest Gardens. We will then travel to Juarez with some gardens and share our training with the women at Las Mujeres de Esperanza y Fe. The plan is to provide the women with quality soil, appropriate seeds, and any necessary tools to tend the garden. Depending on the funds available I would also like to supply some gardens and training for the Women's Intercultural Center in Anthony, New Mexico, Annunciation House in El Paso, Texas, and some low income folks right here in Albuquerque's South Valley.

The CAC has already purchased one Abundant Harvest Garden to begin this project - and one to use as a teaching demo at the Center - but we would like to obtain more for the families in Juarez. Each garden unit costs $225 (manufacturers price; retail is $295). The additional costs include shipping each garden from Virginia ($30), quality soil ($25), seeds to keep the garden producing for a year ($25-$35), and water ($25/year). I am inviting anyone who would like to support this project to send contributions to CAC and earmark them "Home Grown Nutrition Program". I know that so many of you already support the work of the Center and other important projects in your community and in our global community. The women of Las Mujeres and their families have touched my life in a special way, though, and I feel compelled to be a voice - to make a sincere request on their behalf - since they are voiceless in so many ways.
We plant seeds literally and figuratively. Please help me plant some in a very special community in Juarez, Mexico (and beyond), and thank you again for making the vibrant garden possible at the Center for Action and Contemplation.

-Chuck O'Herron Alex

This article appeared in the December 2003 issue of Radical Grace.

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The Homegrown Nutrition Program is the CAC's attempt to empower some of our friends in Juarez by providing them with the means to grow some fresh, organic, nutritious produce. In addition to the gardens, we also brought along top quality soil, many kinds of vegetable seeds, and materials to build a mini greenhouse to cover the gardens.

We were met with big smiles, open arms, and much excitement by the members of Las Mujeres de Espiranza y Fe women's center. It was wonderful to renew old friendships that I began years ago when I took CAC interns to Juarez for a border awareness experience. It was equally exciting to introduce my three friends from Albuquerque (Isaac Beachy, Birgitta Gabel, and Barb Miller) to some inspiring women from Juarez. The purpose of our trip was to build cross-border relationships as well as to take and plant gardens. My hope is that friendships, in addition to vegetables, will blossom and grow.

After the four hour drive to Juarez from Albuquerque and our warm reception, we began the garden training with a discussion of the theory of the Abundant Harvest garden. We talked about how it worked, why it worked, what made it special, and what kind of care it needed to produce an abundant harvest. Pretty soon we got tired of talking about the gardens and were itching to set up and plant them. So we headed to the house where we would set up the first garden.

Elizabeth lives in a partially finished two room cinderblock house with her husband and their three young children. Like most people in the colonias, Elizabeth and her husband had recently moved to Juarez from a more rural part of Mexico in hopes of a better life in the city. But since they came with little money they are forced to build their house bit by bit as they save up money. Elizabeth's husband is lucky to have a maquila job that pays him about $42 for a 55 hour work week. I say that he is "lucky" because many of the maquilas are being closed in Juarez as companies find cheaper parts of the world, such as China and Indonesia, in which to set up their sweatshops. Elizabeth is constantly worried about feeding her kids and was very excited when she heard about the CAC's Homegrown Nutrition program and the possibility of growing some fresh produce for her kids and her nieces and nephews who live next door.

Elizabeth, her sister, their six kids, and the four members of our group all participated as we filled the garden with quality soil that we brought from Albuquerque. This importing of soil is necessary because many of the homes in this area of Juarez are situated on top of a former garbage dump, and therefore the small amount of soil that is present is contaminated with garbage. When the garden was filled with soil Birgitta laid out about fifty different seed packets and Elizabeth and her sister had great fun picking cold hardy seeds for the garden. While the seed selection was going on, Barb and I began constructing the mini-greenhouse that would cover the garden, keep it warm enough for seed germination, and then keep the vegetables from freezing on the cold December and January nights to come. After about three hours, the garden was planted, watered, and covered with its own mini greenhouse. Isaac, Birgitta, Barb, and I then went to the homes of two other women for a delightful evening of visiting , eating, and resting.

We repeated the garden training and set up routine again the next day at Sandra's home. In addition to Elizabeth, Sandra and their families, we also trained four other women on the set up, planting, watering, harvesting, and care of the Abundant Harvest Garden. We are hoping to raise enough money to take two more gardens down to Juarez every two months and to train more people on their use. It is also a hope of mine that as time goes on Elizabeth, Sandra, and some of the already trained women will become recourses and teachers for women who will be receiving gardens in the future. Each garden costs about $350 (which includes the cost of soil, seeds, and mini greenhouse). To support this project please send checks to CAC and earmark them "Homegrown Nutrition Project." Thank you so much for your help!

-Chuck O'Herron Alex

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I sit here reflecting on my recent trip to Juarez, Mexico while listening to a Christmas CD and it causes me to think of what Christmas will be like in the house of Irene, my housemother in Juarez. My Christmas will be no better than Irene and her family's despite my Christmas ham, many presents, loads of decorations, and many other things that "put me in the spirit." In fact, Irene's decorations will outmatch my decorations many times over.

Irene has and is part of a family that acts as a fabric; each individual as thread lending its strength to the entire fabric. I've already broken two of my ornaments, but the fabric family that Irene has will and must survive, because, like in an afghan blanket, if a thread breaks the threads nearest it will start to unravel and eventually the afghan will be no more. It is out of necessity that Irene and her family are closer and stronger than any family I have seen before.

So, if these Abundant Harvest Gardens completely liberate these families from poverty, will their fabric families break down as they have in the long-liberated modern West? My answer is a solid, sincere, and assured "no."

During my trip to Juarez I have seen how a garden, along with soil, water, and nutrients, needs family to produce yield for a family. The garden needs community to function and at the same time grows community - just as it needs organic material to make more organic material. Consistent care, fluidity, and cooperation are necessary to complete all tasks of gardening, however small and easy. Because the gardens need these things, they will get them by whatever means necessary or as an alternative, perish. Just as Irene's family grew strong and vibrant out of necessity.

It is my belief that these gardens will not produce without the support of a fabric family. And whether the fabric family is there or it needs to grow yet, it is also my belief that these gardens will receive good soil, good water, good nutrients, in hand with good family.

-Isaac Beachy

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Impressions of Juarez: The HomeGrown Nutrition Project As Seen Through The Eyes Of A CAC Volunteer

From early on in my time at the CAC I heard about the HomeGrown Nutrition project that was going on in Juarez.  Because of what I heard from people around the CAC and from the project’s founder, Chuck O’Herron-Alex, I thought that I had a decent idea of what the HomeGrown Nutrition Project was all about.  After my first trip to Juarez with the project I can certainly say that my initial ideas about it were well off the mark. 

When I was thinking about the project in the weeks leading up to out trip on the 10^th and 11^th of September I was only able to think of it in a very abstract way.  I did not see the human element that needs to go into a project like this, the kind of element that is very present in the HGNP.  Before we went to Juarez I never consciously thought about the fact that there would be real people there that we would be giving these gardens to, people who appreciate the food that comes from the gardens in a way that I probably can never understand. 

To me, the most amazing thing about the HGNP is the connection that is built between those of us from America who go to Juarez and the people who live there that receive and tend the gardens that we bring.  It was great to see Chuck giving advice to the women with gardens after they talked about their different successes and failures. All of the women were eager to show off what they had accomplished in their gardens and learn ways to do even more.  It was during these times when we were talking to the women and showing them what they needed to do that I realized how important an ongoing presence in a program like this is.  Without the continued support of Chuck and the CAC the women would simply not have the knowledge about gardening that they would need to keep things going in such a harsh environment.  Within just a few months they would all have nothing but a four by four patch of dirt and weeds. 

Even though for me there was a large barrier because of my poor Spanish skills, I still felt a connection to the people we visited.  In every case it seemed that the people did everything that they could to make us feel at home and welcome.  Almost every person that we met seemed concerned about our welfare, and they showed it by often asking if I was sad or tired because I never spoke.  Those in the group who could speak more Spanish were very good about letting people know that I simply wasn’t able to follow the conversation well enough to communicate much.  There is no doubt that it was the actual people that had the biggest impression on me.  Their kindness and the thanks they showed to us for bringing them something as simple as a small garden and the seeds needed to plant it touched me deeply.  I didn’t really know what to expect from the people of Juarez before we went there, but even without any expectations they managed to leave me very pleasantly surprised. 

-Joe Schrag

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Connecting Lives

I’ve been to Juarez three times now to bring down gardens for the Homegrown Nutrition Project and I’ve noticed the experience change for me over time.  During the first two trips I felt awkward when meeting new people and attempting to communicate with my limited Spanish.  I also think I prepared myself so much for how different it would be, I passed way too easily over the differences and was instead struck by how similar we human beings are.  We care about the same things; we cry over the same things.  In fact, the people I meet in my own neighborhood do not seem happier or more satisfied than my friends in Juarez.  I’ve spent many years believing that wealth does not make one happy, but the myth still slips in here and there and I felt surprised to recognize many of the same very human struggles with love and loss and just getting through the demands of the day.

This last trip down to Juarez, however, was different.  This time at every turn I ran directly into “choicelessness.”  Everything in my life is about choice.  Do I want to earn more or live more simply?  Do I want to send my kids to public school or school them at home?  How do I want to earn my living?  Do I choose to eat meat or not?  Pepsi or Coke?  This time I was struck by all the choices my friends in Juarez do not have.  In the colonia there is little work from which to choose (many of the maquiladoras have closed and gone to the Asia).  Most people simply cannot send their children to school at all (going to school costs money).  They cannot choose to move somewhere else where there are more opportunities (they cannot cross the border without risking their lives or getting caught and sent back anyway).  Many of my friends may not even have the choice to move somewhere else when the water runs out (it is predicted that Juarez will run out of water in three years).  I came back home this time and felt afraid for the future my friends face.

The gardens are a dazzling spot of color in the midst of all this.  In this gray landscape they are literally beautiful in their green lushness.  For sure they are no solution in the greater sense of this word.  Yet, the gardens provide nutritious food to families in which food is not plentiful.  It has been a delight to see the women so enthusiastic about getting their hands in the soil (many come from farming families) and to watch these gardens generally do better than my own garden at home. 

The gardens are a vehicle for connection between two peoples whose lives are intimately interwoven.  My friends in Juarez seem very aware of this.  Perhaps it is because their hands have built the products they know will eventually be bought by me.  Yet, here in the United States our awareness of this connection is fuzzy.  I believe these moments of connection are extremely important and hope that it is through connection that we here in the U.S. will finally begin to loosen our grip on our “things.” 

-Birgitta Gabel

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Transcending Borders

The Homegrown Nutrition Program (HGNP) is a project sponsored by CAC that helps people living on top of the former Juarez dump set up gardens that provide fresh organic produce for their families.  These gardens are self contained, four foot by four foot micro intensive units that use 80% less water than traditional agriculture and yet still provide produce for a family of four on a year round basis. 

Currently CAC has provided the start up materials (garden box with Geoweb cell structure, soil, seeds, watering can, and protective covering) for thirteen families in Juarez.  A group headed by myself has made numerous trips to Juarez from Albuquerque to take materials, provide training and ongoing assistance, and of equal importance, to continue developing cross border and cross cultural relationships. 

HGNP is a hands on project that seeks to alleviate some of the world’s hunger and malnutrition while at the same time empower, respect, educate, and support some of the world’s poor.  HGNP is funded by donations from former interns, conference attendees, Radical Grace readers, and other good people who have heard about the project.  I know that contributors to HGNP come from a variety of political backgrounds and perspectives.  I am continuously awed by the generosity of contributors and am grateful to be apart of a project that is unifying at its core.

The unifying aspect of HGNP has two fronts.  The first and most obvious is the unity that is being created between the poor of Juarez, Mexico and the relatively wealthy of the United States.  HGNP is not a hunger relief project that simply drops food on someone’s door and then flees to the safety and comfort of the first world.  HGNP works with the people we are trying to help in a way that allows them to put their time and effort into something that will reap a tangible reward while developing relationships that give all involved a clearer picture of their neighbors from across the U.S.–Mexico border.  Positive, healthy, and mutually beneficial relationships are being created and fostered through HGNP while, unfortunately, at the same time there are many people and groups highlighting and fostering negative cross border feelings and sentiments.

The second front of unity that is being created by HGNP is between people who hold differing political views in the United States.  Although it has been the stereotypical “bleeding heart liberals” who often are believed to be concerned about the poor, it has been my experience that through, HGNP, people from all political perspectives have joined together to do something about hunger and malnutrition. 

In November’s elections there will be “winners and losers” and there possibly could be even greater division among the American population.  My hope is that whatever political perspective people hold, they will see the value of looking for and supporting unifying projects that have the potential to create a better world.  I believe that the Homegrown Nutrition Program is one of these unifying projects. 

-Chuck O'Herron-Alex

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