COMMUNITY CONSERVATION
How American Cities Backed Up The Cannon With The Canner
Enormous as was the quantity of food packed away in cans by American housewives in the summer of 1918, the quantity so conserved represented only a fraction of the surplus of American war gardens. Home canning could not begin to take care of the excess, and therefore, in order that the Scriptural injunction be followed and "nothing be lost," it was necessary to establish conservation on a community basis, just as it had been found helpful to stimulate production through community gardening. These organized forms of conservation took the shape of community markets for the distribution, and community canneries for the preservation, of the garden surplus.
Though the Commission limited its efforts along these lines to the furnishing of instructions for conserving food, the work of the community centers for the sale of garden surplus proved most helpful....Many war gardeners found the community markets an excellent medium for disposing of surplus vegetables not needed for home consumption. Purchasers, too, were glad of the opportunity afforded by the community market to secure vegetables that were fresh and choice....One of the most prosperous and successful of these community markets was at Oakland, California, under the direction of Mrs. James Hamilton, the city director of food production, who showed courage and energy in pushing her project to success. It will be well to let her tell something of her own story. Here is part of what she has to say:
" So far this market has been the means of saving hundreds of tons of vegetables and fruits, together with quantities of berries, eggs, chickens, pigeons, rabbits and honey. The greater part, if not all, of the perishables otherwise would have been wasted. This market has taken care of the war-garden supplies of our city since it was opened, together with the supplies of several of our big growers of both fruits and vegetables. It will be a very great means of stimulating production for next year because the grower knows he will be given a place where he can market his supplies advantageously"
ACHIEVEMENT CLUB GIRLS
In order that the work might be done scientifically, and the pack be uniform from day to day, everything was done under the direction of a paid expert. Visitors were free to come and watch operations, which were thus a continuous demonstration of scientific canning, and thousands of women who had come to market only to buy products also dropped into the cannery and learned the up-to-date methods. The educational value of this effort was beyond computation. The women of the entire city were reached.
Reports to the Commission from all parts of the country indicated that in a great number of places arrangements were made to preserve surplus garden products through community canneries, and also showed the success that attended this effort. Typical of the spirit that animated many of these reports is a statement in a communication from J.D. Parnell, secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, Vernon, Texas. Mr. Parnell wrote:
We have a community canner and are preserving everything that we grow. We are also going outside of our county into the communities where they are not equipped to preserve perishable stuff and buying surplus. We can it and sell it to those who have no gardens.
Home demonstration agents of the United States Department of Agriculture, women's clubs, representatives of manufacturing concerns, gas and electric companies, and numerous individuals coöperated in this community canning. "The Federation of Women's Clubs and myself coöperating will supervise the marketing and the canning of the surplus products of the gardens," was the report to the Commission from Miss Anna Allen, emergency home demonstration agent at Independence, Kansas. Similar work was performed in hundreds of places.
The success of these community canneries is indicated by many reports...Thus, in hundreds of community canneries the country over, thousands of women were saving the excess food upon which the fate of democracy rested, and practicing, as they canned, democracy itself.
After reading this chapter, I am more convinced than ever that Akron can turn several pressing economic and environmental challenges into opportunities for farmers underemployed and declining neighborhoods.
After the Highland Square boondoggle I drafted a proposal for a community based grocery stores, but after reading the war garden book and the formation of the food policy coalition inspired me to build in the original proposal.
A collaboration consisting of members from the Summit County Food Policy Coalition, which include local farmers, community gardens administrators, educational institutions, work with government organizations such as jobs and family services, housing authorities, the City of Akron, and NGOs and community development corporations to explore the possibility of how to establish 8 to 10 employee owned community based food production and grocery stores throughout Akron disadvantaged neighborhoods.
This would include developing community gardens and urban farms next to restored* corner store fronts where local gardeners and urban farmers would sell their produce to the store. (*energy efficiency retrofits of the existing buildings to reduce operation cost.)
The goal is to create a stronger and equitable local economy by growing, distributing and selling our own food. Not only will this provide access to healthy food in neighborhoods lacking grocery stores, but the creation of living wage employment opportunities will help families living in the neighborhoods already devastated by years of neglect made worse by the foreclosure crisis.
Other benefits include;
opportunities for wealth accumulation
support local farmers and a local food economy
generates income and tax revenue
reclaim and revitalization (preservation) of pedestrian friendly neighborhoods
restoration reduces demolition waste from entering landfills
easily accessible food and jobs where people can walk, reducing the need and expense of car ownership
walkable neighborhoods encourage healthier lifestyles
The stores would sell locally grown food from NE Ohio and household goods, either from Ohio or surrounding states. Imported food would ONLY be organic and fair trade.
The stores could be employee owned and operated by local residents, earning living wages and health care benefits as well as long term investment in their neighborhoods.
The stores would be informal centers of community life with staff members working with local churches and community centers to offer hands on cooking and nutrition workshops and community meals.
Distribution challenges could be overcome with a number of possible solutions. For example, the governing entity could apply for CDBG grants and/ or low interest loans to purchase a truck or two for pick and distribution.
