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2009 Solidarity Harvest
The Solidarity Harvest is about local food, helping out those who've
been laid off, and so much more! Since 2003, EMLC and Food AND Medicine's
Solidarity Harvest has brought quality Thanksgiving meals to over
3,300 laid off workers and their family mambers in Eastern Maine.
In addition, the program brings unions, farmers, and small businesses
together in solidarity to work toward long-term solutions that will
build our local economy and keep jobs in Maine. As much as possible,
we buy or accept donations of only fresh, local foods.
The Eastern Maine Labor Council endorsed these principles
for the 2009 Solidarity Harvest at our September 2009 meeting:
1. Thanksgiving Meals. Organize unions, farmers,
small businesses and workers to come together to provide locally
grown or sourced food for Thanksgiving meals to about 150 laid off
workers and families with children in trying circumstances.
2. Social Movement. Encourage conversations
about, directly support, and create a regional social movement for
the following interdependent issues that are each necessary to ensure
that all children have access to healthy, sustainable, local food:
- good jobs with dignity for families
- local, sustainable, family agriculture
- a real social safety net, so that nobody has
to choose between food, medicine, housing and other basic necessities
3. Community Organizing. Organize a broad
and dynamic group of organizations--including faith groups, unions,
farms, farm organizations, small businesses, and government bodies--to
support the Solidarity Harvest goals.
4. Leadership Development. Organize those who are directly
affected (i.e. families, children, farmers, laid-off workers, working
poor, those who work with children) to have a role in creating awareness
& change on the issues that Solidarity Harvest supports.
Participating Organizations: None of this
would be possible without the help of many unions, farms, faith
organizations, local businesses, laid off workers, and other volunteers
who have and continue to donate money, time, and produce.
The EMLC extends tremendous thanks to all of the
following unions and other organizations for their support and/or
donations:
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