It’s got to be hard coming to a new country, filled with unfamiliar daily routines. Being a refugee in the US does not only present language barriers, there are also simple customs and rituals that must be learned in order to flourish. Take, for example, shopping for food. In many foreign cultures, indigenous people farm their food sources. In the US, not so much. That means that refugees who find themselves in Buffalo, are suddenly faced with the realization that sourcing food means a trip to a nearby market. Not only is that an expensive proposition, can you imagine how hard it must be to walk down an aisle of a supermarket, filled with labels that you can’t read and bottles, cans and bags of products that look like they came from another planet? Not to mention sifting through products to find something that is fresh, healthy and relatively familiar.
In the end, the best chance that Buffalo’s refugees have to create any sort of normalcy for their families, is to attempt to recreate some of their food gathering means right here in Buffalo. That’s why we see the Burmese community fishing along the Niagara River. When it comes to farming, we have also seen an uptick in opportunities made available to various refugee communities (see PUSH for example).
Journey’s End Refugee Services has also been headstrong in connecting refugees with farm opportunities. Just last year, a Refugee Agricultural Program was established, which is managed by Kyla Jaquish. One of the first mission objectives was to build a 1,000 square feet hoophouse that is now filled with raised beds at the Brewster Street Farm.
The program gives the refugees an opportunity to meet with local farmers, who offer class instruction to introduce these new communities to climate conditions, seed and plant varietals, and tending techniques. The farm initiative has been wildly successful since its inception, and the refugee community has not just planted the food that it depends on, it has planted deeper roots in Buffalo in the process.
Now the community is invited to come see all of the progress that is being made at the urban farm.
On Saturday, September 20th, 2014, Journey’s End is hosting a “volunteer and harvest celebration” at the Brewster Street Farm. This is a great way to see, in person, what the program is all about. It’s also a fun way to get your hands dirty while visiting the farm and celebrating cultural advancements in Buffalo. The event is also a potluck style picnic where many of the dishes will incorporate produce grown right on the farm. So come on out and meet the people who are helping to recreate Buffalo as a city that is inviting and culturally diverse.
*Volunteers are welcome to help out from 9am-12pm and the celebration will go from 12pm-3pm. The Farm is located at 36 Brewster Street. Bring a dish to share, and be sure to wear some old clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty!
*The Brewster Street Green Shoots Farm has a farm stand at the Tri-Main Building lobby (every Wednesday from 11-1pm), and at the ECMC Farmer’s Market (every Friday from 10am to 3pm).
Lead photo: Green Shoots for New Americans class on a field trip to Blueberry Ridge Farm in North Collins