Fresh, Organically Grown Local Food? That can cost a lot of lettuce. Wait a minute…that’s not a bad idea.
Not long ago, there was a produce swap on the Long Beach bluff in which locals who grow food would come with their excess and trade for the backyard bounties of others.
There is an interest to bring back this loose affiliation of “produce only” food swappers and a strong desire to help spread these types of gatherings throughout the city.
Goals:
- Help people share their growing bounty with their neighbors
- Create community around food
- Provide fresh, local, healthy food access for low-income residents
What We Need:
- Neighbors who want help starting a produce swap
- location space
- waivers and legal documents
- set dates and times and promote them
Latest Status:
- 5/18/14 Cindy Goss pitched the idea to host the initial produce swaps at Bixby Park at the same time as the Farmer’s Market. Ryan Serrano and Rick Berry suggested moving it or starting an alternate one at Drake Park.
- 6/1/14 OC Food Swappers has offered to help advise any new produce or food swaps
- 10/1/14 More and more, we hear about unofficial networks of neighbors who are engaging in this activity.
- 8/1/16 Started the North Long Beach Crop Swap with Grant Neighborhood Assoc. and Vice Mayor Rex Richardson to host monthly produce exchanges after being funded to so by the LB Department of Health & Human Services as part of the Kaiser HealZONE grant
- 1/1/17 Garden Angels, a swap that had been going for several years, merges with our LB Fresh Crop Swap
- 3/1/17 An LB Co-Op Boardmember and downtown art gallery collaborated on a Crop Swap after visiting ours in North Long Beach.
- 4/1/17 We start year two of the Healzone grant with the request that we host 18 Crop Swaps this year. This will require opening a second location in the Healzone and we are looking at he Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library, Starr King Neighborhood or Houghton Park.
Get Involved:
Read the latest status, think about how you want to get involved, and contact us.