City Slicker Farms

Dear City Slicker Farms family, 

Maybe we’ve already had the chance to meet. I’m Joseph. Often you can find me at one of our Community Market Farms. As the Farm Assistant at City Slicker Farms, I am responsible for making sure the plants are tended to and that volunteers have tasks to help out with, and I run the farm stand every Saturday. 

I am so glad that you are a fan of what we do. I’d love to tell you a bit more about our farm stand – why it’s important for our community, especially during this holiday season, and how you can help us as a donor and friend. 

At 9:30am, the air is crisp. I’m at 34^th and Peralta Streets, home to Fitzgerald and Union Plaza Parks, where we have our largest Community Market Farm. I begin to set up the farm stand in our outdoor classroom there. It’s a beautiful wooden structure with benches all around and a roof to shade us from the summer sun, and during this time of year, the winter rain.

When I arrive, I look around to make sure the area is ready for us to set out the produce. Usually there are already people hanging out at the outdoor classroom. They are folks who use the recycling center across the street or live within a few blocks of the park.

A few ask me if they can lend a hand – helping to tidy up and carry over the tubs of produce that we then set down on the benches. There are pumpkins, winter squash, collards, kale, beets, carrots, onions, and herbs – perfect ingredients for any holiday meal.

During the winter season, it can be hard for a lot of families. At a time when so many are celebrating bounty, there are folks who are just trying to get by. That’s why our sliding scale farm stand is so important, where people can get fresh, healthy food regardless of their income.

That’s why I am urging you to make a donation today. A gift of $50, $100, $250 or $500 will go a long way to helping West Oakland residents who are doing their best to provide a healthy meal for their families.

Like you and me, our customers recognize that improving their diet will improve their health. And for a lot of residents who have high blood pressure, diabetes or heart problems – coming to our farm stand is a healthy, delicious and affordable way to address these issues.

It’s now 9:45am and there’s already a line. These people are my regulars. They are women – African American elders in our community – who know what it takes to feed a family.

Most of my customers will hand me a small wad of dollar bills and start filling their grocery bags full of greens, winter squash and carrots. Some weeks they’ll give me ten dollars. And other times they’ll hand me a couple dollars, because that’s all they have.

In the background you can hear the crashing glass at the recycling center – the sound of people trying to make a living from whatever recyclables they can find. Some will make their way to the farm stand later in the day, and they’ll ask me, “Is this food for free?” I say, “If you need it to be.”

I tell them that if they don’t have money this week, then they can take what they need for themselves and their family. And yet, folks end up giving me some money anyway, even if it’s a few quarters and nickels.

By noon, the rush is over. Some people are still hanging out on the benches, chatting about their favorite recipe for fried green tomatoes or the ingredients in a green smoothie recipe that their doctor gave them. Some of them I know by name, some I know them by face, and others are new.

One of my favorite parts about working on our Community Market Farms is that I get to meet and chat with all these people – folks and neighbors who use this park to hang out, get fresh food and enjoy the fresh air.

It’s easy to make assumptions or judge someone just by looking at them. I was reminded of this after meeting this one woman.

She’s a Backyard Gardener with us now. But before that she would come to the farm stand every week. She would take a little bit of this and that and then leave. She would never pay. She dressed well. She was a bit older, perhaps retired, I thought. She seemed like she had means. So, I wasn’t sure why she would come to get produce for free.

Weeks passed, and then one day she came by and told us how very thankful she was that we were here. She said that she was living on a fixed income and that she had her son to take care of – all of which made it difficult for her financially. She told me that by getting some fresh vegetables here without having to spend any money made it possible for her to get through each week.
I had no idea – I had made a judgment without understanding the full story. I am so glad that we were there when she needed it.

And you can help. Your gift of $50, $100, $250 or $500 means that we can grow fresh fruits and vegetables that will fill the grocery bags of families who are hungry for healthy foods but struggle to afford it.

The most important thing about our Community Market Farms and the farm stand is that we are getting good food to people who don’t have a lot of money and don’t have access to healthy, organic foods.

At 3pm most of the produce has been sold or given away. Volunteers have already started to pack away some of the containers and are working on some of the other tasks that will make it possible to harvest another bounty come next week.

One volunteer hovers over a bed of collard leaves; she is pinching away the leaves that have leaf miner – a common garden pest – and sets them aside for the chickens to feast on. Nothing goes to waste in this microcosm.

By 4:30pm most of the farming duties are complete. I am working on closing up the Community Market Farm – putting away tools and writing down what needs to be done next week. That’s when Cleo’s uncle comes by.

Cleo lives in the neighborhood and helps out once in a while. He likes to think of this as his garden. And I’m glad he does. Cleo’s uncle grew up in West Oakland – used to play in this very park when he was little.

But over the past couple of decades, before we started our Community Market Farm, the park had become an area for unsavory activity. It no longer felt like a place for the community to hang out in.

He’s happy to see City Slicker Farms here and that we’re making this a safe and beautiful place for the community. He tells me, “Hey, I was thinking of raking up the leaves tomorrow.” I say, “Tomorrow is Sunday and I won’t be here. But I’ll leave you a rake and some garbage bags.” To know that he cares about this space as much as I do, well, that means a lot to me.

These are the things that make a community. It’s people coming together on a Saturday afternoon in the park, getting fresh produce, swapping stories, hugging an old friend, talking about what will be cooking on the stove that evening. These are the things that make a place a home.

With the holiday season upon us, please make your gift today. Your donation of $50, $100, $250 or $500 will mean that West Oakland residents and families have the fresh, healthy foods they need to share in a bountiful holiday.

I want to thank you, on behalf of everyone here at City Slicker Farms, for your support over this past year. We wish you and your loved ones a warm and wonderful holiday season.

Yours in warmth and health, 

Joseph Davis
Farm Assistant and Backyard Garden Mentor

P.S. Please do not hesitate. Make a donation today of $50, $100, $250 or $500 and help West Oakland residents who are doing their best to provide healthy meals for their families. Thank you for making this holiday season truly special.