Volunteer Opportunity with Food Empowerment Project

January 21, 2009

Food Empowerment Project is looking for volunteers to help us with a project in Santa Clara County to help us get healthier food options to those who are most vulnerable - communities of color and those who have very few resources. We have just completed the survey we plan to use to assess the availability of healthy foods in both high income and low income areas. Our goal is to compare the two and come up with the data. We are starting with Santa Clara County.

From there, we will make the information public and then go back into the low income areas to determine how they might want to receive access to healthy food. Our goal is to work to change the fact that there is a lack of healthy food options in low-income areas. There is a lot more work that will come after we collect the data (I am just trying to be brief) but for right now, we have a lot of data to collect!And this is where we need you right now! We have set up a date to do the training on Saturday, January 31st so that everyone understands what we need done, why we need particular information and any questions or thoughts you may have. The training will take place at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library from 3pm to 5:30pm in room 255/257 (MLK, Jr. Library is located at 150 E San Fernando St, San Jose, CA). I am really hoping you can help us out – we are an all volunteer organization and I would really love to work with those who understand the importance of this issue. Please RSVP to me as soon as you can!

Thank you so much for your time and consideration. I have pasted below the mission of our organization. In a nutshell, we want to empower people with their food choices to have a positive impact on animals, farm workers, the environment and health - with a focus on those who have been historically disenfranchised. For food justice, lauren lauren Ornelas Founder/Executive Director Food Empowerment Project P.O. Box 7071 San Jose, CA 95150530.848.4021www.foodispower.org www.veganmexican.com Because your food choices can change the world The Food Empowerment Project seeks to create a more just and sustainable world by recognizing the power of one's food choices. We encourage healthy food choices that reflect a more compassionate society by spotlighting the abuse of animals on farms, the depletion of natural resources, unfair working conditions for produce workers, and the unavailability of healthy foods in low-income areas.

By making informed choices, we can prevent injustices against animals, people, and the environment. We also work to discourage negligent corporations from pushing unhealthy foods into low-income areas and empower people to make healthier choices by growing their own fruits and vegetables. In all of our work, the Food Empowerment Project seeks specifically to empower those with the fewest resources.