City Sale for Farmers' Fund

Those of us who live in cities sometimes forget that chickens do not come naturally from God without feathers, on Styrofoam trays, wrapped in cellophane. We are so accustomed to stopping in the Jewel or Dominic's and finding mounds of fruits and vegetables, washed and deliciously displayed that we might forget that someone had to plant and nurture and grow and harvest and deliver all this food. It used to be that this most important and praiseworthy work--farming--was done by families all over Illinois and Wisconsin. But ever since large corporations began taking over farming some thirty years ago, the family farm has been in danger. Small-scale family farms cannot compete price-wise with the huge corporations.

That's why Christians in Madison, Wisconsin, began the Harvest of Hope Fund a few years ago. The fund helps Wisconsin farm families who have emergency medical, utility or farm bills. The fund is underwritten by the state conferences of the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church.

Cooperating in this venture is a group called Churches' Center for Land and People, a larger organization that serves farm families in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Churches' Center is located at the motherhouse (headquarters) of the Dominican sisters of Sinsinawa, Wisconsin and is supported by Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and United Methodist churches in Madison and Milwaukee.

St. Ben's Parish on Irving Park Road in the Ravenswood neighborhood provided a Chicago connection. (See www.archdiocese-chgo.org and look under "Events.") On Valentine's Day weekend, St. Ben's Peace and Justice Committee teamed up with their counterparts at Berry Memorial Methodist Church and held their "Mid-Winter Farmers Market" at Berry Memorial on North Leavitt, around the corner from St. Ben's. Grass-fed beef, pork, lamb, and duck was for sale, as were a variety of preservative-free cheeses, organic flours, honey, maple syrup and even crafted goods like woolen clothing and milk soap. The farm family supplying the item received 90 percent of the sale price, and 10 percent went into the Harvest of Hope Fund. This is the first time that the market has been brought to the big city, but last year, the market in Madison brought family farmers some much-needed income, as well as $2,700 to the fund.

Catholic Connections

"Food can remain safe and affordable without sacrificing the incomes, health, or lives of farmers and farmworkers. Catholic social teaching insists that all workers deserve wages and benefits sufficient to support a family and live a decent life. Farmers must be able to support themselves and their families through their work and to provide for important needs such as health care and retirement. Farmers and their employees receive less and less of every dollar spent on food. This is a matter of justice that should be addressed. Agricultural policies must take into consideration the risks associated with farming that are beyond a farmer's control, such as weather and changes in global markets. Trade policies should better reflect the right to economic opportunity of all farmers wherever they may live. Agricultural policies should help ensure basic income security and provide opportunities for economic initiative for farmers in the United States and throughout the world, with special attention to small producers."
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, For I Was Hungry and You Gave Me Food: Catholic Reflections on Food, Farmers and Farmworkers, 2003.

Reflection Questions

Why should city-dwellers support and be concerned about family farms?

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