who2give2

Vegetarian Times, Nov-Dec, 2004

Every Sunday, dozens of homeless, hungry souls gather in Boston's Cambridge Common for a free vegetarian meal prepared in a nearby church kitchen by volunteers from Bread & Jams. There might be stuffed peppers or a big stir-fry, plus salads, beans, fruit--just the nourishment people down on their luck need but rarely receive. In harsh weather, the crowd shifts into the church. If people need a coat, boots or an encouraging word, they can get that too. Amazing things result. In the case of Ron Williams, once a regular, eventually the Bread & Jams staff recognized abilities others hadn't seen and offered him a job--one he's kept ever since.

Stories like Ron's are not as rare as you might guess, thanks to dozens of little-known groups that do big things on tiny budgets. We've chosen 5 for you to consider during this giving season. These non-profits * provide critical services * are thrifty * strive to be good stewards of resources * work at the grass-roots level * care for the Earth and the people, plants and animals it sustains. In other words, they exemplify vegetarian values. So do many other small, wonderful organizations, and from time to time we plan to cover more of them, so please tell us about your favorites. Meanwhile, these 5 are a great place to start. And oh, yeah--give generously.

bread & jams, inc.

"Monday through Friday, there're all kinds of places to eat," says Ron Williams, homeless himself for almost a decade. "But Sundays--there's nowhere." Nowhere, that is, until Bread & Jams began (the jams refers to live music provided with the meal, thanks to local performers). Ron, who came for the food, also got clothes and health care through Bread & Jams--and, finally, he got a job. "I'm 41, and today I have my first credit card," he says. "I've got a checking account and a savings account. I've got money in my wallet. Bread & Jams turned my life around."

"At Bread & Jams, most of the hard work is done by people who themselves have been homeless but now provide counseling and tough love to others," says Bob Hurlbut of the Cambridge Community Foundation, a long-time B&J supporter. "We keep the meal vegetarian because people who are homeless or low-income often don't get a lot of fruits and vegetables in their diet," adds meal coordinator Mitch Zeisler. To offer three or four meatless entrees every Sunday, Bread & Jams gleans produce from Boston's Quincy Market, a food mecca with a conscience.

WHERE:

Cambridge, Massachusetts

WHAT:

Self-help for the homeless (the staff includes many once-homeless individuals)--provides free food, clothing, showers, laundry, access to phone/mail service and health care

HOW MANY:

Has served about 78,000 vegetarian meals--100 people have been fed every Sunday for 15 years

WHO:

200 volunteers prepare and serve the meals; 30 more provide other services

WHY:

To improve health and nutrition of the homeless, connect them to services and help them turn their lives around

WHAT YOUR GIFT WILL BUY

$25 provides a Sunday meal for 15 people

$150 replaces pots, pans and utensils for one year

www.breadandjams.org 1151 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138 617.441.3831

sustainable harvest int'l.

By teaching one farmer sustainable practices on one acre of rain forest, "we save 12 acres from slash-and-burn"--the practice of cutting down and/or burning off vegetation to clear land for crops or cattle--estimates Florence Reed, the founder of Sustainable Harvest International (SHI). The group encourages farmers to raise and sell organic vegetables, not beef. "Our only non-vegetarian activities involve helping families establish fish ponds to provide protein, if they can't grow non-animal protein," Reed says.

SHI also helps farmers build stoves that use fuel produced from chicken manure instead of firewood. To conserve the fragile, shallow topsoil, farmers are taught to mulch, compost and use plant barriers to control erosion.

"I have learned how and why to use live fence posts, to plant with the contours of the earth and to grow without burning and ruining my land," says Daniel Castro, a Honduran farmer who raises coffee, timber trees, yucca, plantains and vegetables. "Now my crops produce better than those who burn their land and apply a ton of chemicals." Says supporter Jill Kammermeyer, who traveled to Belize to witness SHI's efforts, "It's amazing to see how self-sustaining the people and gardens are everywhere SHI works."

WHERE:

Works in Central America, out of headquarters in Surry, Maine

WHAT:

Promotes sustainable agriculture and reforestation in Honduras, Panama, Belize and Nicaragua

HOW MANY:

Has helped more than 70 communities, 700 farmers and 50 schools plant 1 million trees and save 40,000 acres from slash-and-burn destruction

WHO:

Some 70 volunteers and 18 local agents work with founder Florence Reed, a former Peace Corps volunteer

WHY:

To foster sustainable land-use practices that reduce poverty and protect the rural Central American environment