STONE SOUP CAFE:Stone Soup Cafe was started in Fairbanks in the early 1980s, when local residents noticed that many in our community were struggling to provide their own food. Over the past 30 years, the initiative has evolved from a group of community members handing out sandwiches on the sidewalk to a daily hot breakfast and sack lunch program that serves thousands of meals every month and works to raise awareness and support in the community around issues of hunger and food insecurity.In the summer of 2015, Stone Soup Cafe will embark on a new initiative that furthers our vision of building a sustainable, healthy, and far-reaching food system in Fairbanks. The new program, Stone’s Throw, will initiate a job-training program for members of the Stone Soup community interested in working in the food industry. Stone’s Throw will use the Catalyst Kitchens model to create a curriculum and training program that is locally relevant and that uses the resources that the Fairbanks community has to offer.INTERNSHIP:This summer, we are looking for help building relationships with local farmers (of which there are many!) who might be interested in a “Plant a Row” program and in working with Stone’s Throw students on farm-to-school initiatives. “Plant a Row” asks farmers to donate some portion of their harvest to Stone Soup, so that we can continue to provide not only healthy, but locally sourced meals to our community. The initiative started last year and donations went to our local food bank. We’re interested in thinking about how to make this program sustainable both for local organizations and for farmers. What could we at Stone Soup do to engage more deeply with farmers and turn the “donation” into an exchange? Stone Soup seeks an intern who would work with local farmers to envision a sustainable “Plant a Row” program.Many farmers and schools in Fairbanks have embarked on farm-to-school programs that give our students access to fresh, healthy, local foods. Sometimes, however, the farms and schools hit logistical barriers. For example, schools need peeled and chopped carrot sticks, but farms often do not have the staff to grow, harvest, and processtheir carrots for the schools. We see an opportunity here for the Stone’s Throw program to offer a service that would meanwhile expose our students to the workings of a farm and the needs of a school food program. Stone Soup’s summer intern will be responsible for working with farms and schools to understand what is needed and with the Stone’s Throw program coordinator to help build a curriculum that not only fulfills a local need, but targets learning outcomes for students, particularly around concepts like “sustainable food systems.”Stone’s Throw will be the focus of our summer work, but an intern would be welcome to collaborate on other ongoing projects. We’re interested, for example, in creating infographics that visually demonstrate hunger and food insecurity in our community. And there is always the opportunity to volunteer in our kitchen and by serving our daily guests. Fairbanks is an unbelievable place to spend a summer with its near-continuous daylight and unending opportunities for hiking, biking, camping, fishing, and exploring.Interested students can contact me, Kendell Newman Sadiik, at[email protected] with questions.
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