I wish that I had been able to write more during the week!
However, for those of you keeping up with us, here is a summary of what we have done so far, and some videos are at the bottom of this post.
- Los Amigos del Parque, a program to serve breakfast to potential day laborers waiting to see if they can get work for the day
- Emergency Overflow Shelter, a homeless shelter that provides supper and/or a bed, with no requirement to sign up for any programs. There are programs in Santa Fe to help chronically homeless people achieve a sustainable, stable lifestyle. However, this shelter serves people who are temporarily down on their luck, or who have a mental illness and don’t have anyone to care for them (they probably need a transition program too, but where would anyone get the money for such a program in a recession? They have truly fallen through the cracks.)
- Santa Fe Watershed Association, a program that helps keep the river clean and is trying to re-invigorate some waterways that have been damaged by damming upstream. (Short version of this problem: areas downstream of the dam became bare dried-out gullies, and when it does rain there is no vegetation to hold down the property of people who live there.)
- Santa Fe Community Farm, which exists to supply local low-income people and local agencies with fresh food
- Food for Santa Fe, a food bank that supplies agencies, but also gives away food once a week to individuals with no questions asked
Video Notes:
1. My voice is really loud on the outdoor videos! Too much trying to shout over the wind.
2. Since this is a free blog and I’m feeling cheap, I can’t embed videos here. But go to our YouTube page to check out our videos:
Composting a garden at the Santa Fe Community Farm: http://tiny.cc/BBjz8
Interviews of some team members: http://tiny.cc/PXKue
Bagging food at Food for Santa Fe: http://tiny.cc/M5xP2