And just like that ….

We turned back our clocks and slipped into darkness. A strange correlation between the shortening days, darkness when we return from work, dropping temperatures and the political climate. We shudder thinking of what lies ahead for our neighbors, our country, for the beautiful tapestry we call “America” that so many of our ancestors risked everything for to arrive at our borders. 

We at United In Food are just that: United. We are united in our love for the promise of America. We are united in our mission to UNITE communities through their local food resources. This means acknowledging the fact that migrant workers are the backbone of our food system. They pick and process our crops; they slaughter our animals; they cook our food; they wash the dishes after we eat; they deliver our food while we veg out watching Dancing with the Stars. Immigrants literally have their fingers on every aspect of everything we put into our mouths. We, at United in Food, honor and celebrate our migrants and we gratefully acknowledge their contributions to this country.

We are absolutely horrified by the prospects of deporting these essential workers and members of our communities. While visions of internment camps dance in the heads of some, we are committed to doing anything we can to unite with our fellow Americans to stand up for those without a voice and dwell in our shadows while contributing so mightily to our lives. We realize this will turn off some of our followers and contributors; our numbers will drop; our engagement on social media platforms will diminish. So be it. This is not a decision taken lightly; we can assure you of that. However, to sit idly by is to encourage – possibly assist – in the insanity of rounding up millions of people and sending them back to poverty, violence and uncertainty, not to mention absolutely cratering our economy. That is not the America our ancestors travelled to and worked hard to build.

We will continue to unite our communities through local food sources, but we also want to highlight and remind you of the contributions of migrant workers to our food system. We encourage you to put pressure on Congress to pass sane, sustainable immigration reform so these vital workers and their families can come out of the shadows and fully participate in our society. In the next several months, se will keep you posted on other ideas or resources on how to become more involved, organizations to support.

Pepper recently had an experience at a store. A woman complained about the high prices of food, and they then discussed record corporate profits. The stranger was in tears. Pepper touched her arm and asked if she was OK. “No, I’m not OK. None of this is OK. What is happening?” They cried together over the cheese counter and then gave each other a long, heart-felt hug, promising to check in on their loved ones and to take care of each other. And that is how we are going to get through this: by checking in on each other and hugging strangers!

A big hug from Pixie and Pepper as we approach the depths of winter.