City Slicker Farms

Dear Friends of City Slicker Farms,

My name is Ariel Guidry and I am writing to tell you about how much City Slicker Farms has changed my life since I became an “ally” (a long-term volunteer) through the Urban Farming Education program.

As an ally at City Slicker Farms, I’ve had the honor of helping to tend the farm sites and volunteer at the weekly farmstand, where we offer fresh, Oakland-grown fruits and vegetables to West Oakland families. 

Having been there for a full season now, I’ve come to appreciate how much the farmstand serves as a community gathering spot.  This is not just about getting vegetables.  

People from the neighborhood meet at the farmstand to exchange stories and gain moral support.  They talk about what they’ve been cooking, and learn new things they can make with the season’s bounty.  

But sharing isn’t just limited to talk – people share food, too.  People come to give their extra pomegranates and baskets full of lemons so that others can enjoy the abundance.  My allyship has taught me a lot about generosity and what is possible when people pitch in to contribute to something bigger.  

I’m asking you to pitch in today, by giving a gift of $50, $100, or $250 to support City Slicker Farms.

There is one farmstand customer, Gwen, who comes every week.  The other day she came to get some collards from us.  She’s always so animated! I love visiting with her. She spoke to Joseph and me for a while about a bean soup that she likes to cook. “I’m gonna make you some,” she said.  

And sure enough, a few hours later, Gwen came back with a steaming hot thermos of three-bean soup that she had made with the collards she had bought from us that morning.  

When I tasted that three-bean soup, I could taste all of the love and care and support that everyone had contributed so that this moment could happen.  Gwen said she wanted to share her soup because she appreciates what City Slicker Farms does in her neighborhood.

As someone who also values City Slicker Farms’ work, I encourage you to show your support this winter by making a gift of $50, $100, or $250 so that programs like this can continue. An anonymous donor will even match your gift one-for-one, but you have to give before the New Year.  

City Slicker Farms’ Urban Farming Education programs help rising farmers like me learn the ropes of how to farm in the city. There is a woman who comes to the farmstand with her two daughters.  Joseph always takes them to the chicken coop, and shows them how to care for the chickens. Those girls learn a lot from Joseph, just like I do.

Here in West Oakland, a lot of people have a hard time getting what they need to eat. But at the farmstand I see people sharing what they have to make sure that everyone is taken care of.

I first joined the allyship program to learn farming skills, but I’ve found so much more.  It’s hard to describe in words the value of community, but that’s what we have here in West Oakland.  I feel so bolstered by the people I meet here, like I have the confidence to keep going, keep learning, and keep growing.

Can you make a gift of $50, $100, or $250 this holiday season to help us continue making West Oakland a place of health, growth and community?

Thank you for helping West Oakland be stronger, more connected, and better nourished.

Yours in community,

Ariel Guidry

 Fall/Winter Allyship Participant

P.S. – Please do not hesitate. Your gift of $50, $100, or $250 will be matched if you give before New Year’s Day.