SNAP Challenge by Rev. Meghan Davis Last fall I participated in the SNAP Challenge.  SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or food stamps.  The idea is to spend a week spending only the amount of money of an average “food stamp” benefit for a person in your state.  This includes everything we consume: every meal, snack, beverage and seasoning. According to the most recent statistics I was able to find, the average per person, per week benefit in the... Read more

“The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:11 “The garden suggests there might be a place where we can meet nature halfway.” – Michael Pollan “The act of putting into your mouth what the earth has grown is perhaps your most direct interaction with the earth.” – Frances Moore Lappe “Everything... Read more

In the Garden: a visual meditation Spend a few moments with each of the images below. As you concentrate on them, one at a time, pay attention to the details. Imagine the sounds and smells that would accompany each image. What thought(s) does each image bring to mind? What emotions come up as you look at each of the images?             ——————— Photos by Zoey Everett In addition to being the founder and editor-in-chief of... Read more

Just Good Food Rev. Sarah Moore-Nokes In college, my roommates and I were known for (what we thought were) epic meals. Let me set the scene for you.  Most often we were a haphazard group of 10 or 12 squeezed around a table that could only legitimately seat 6.  Some of us were old friends but there were also always a few new faces who gathered with us to share a meal of bread and cheese, fresh farmers market salad,... Read more

Watering in the Rain by Talitha G. Phillips California has had a bad year for rain. In late January we were informed it was the worst drought ever recorded.  We’ve all been putting buckets in our showers to catch water for our gardens – an early morning ritual performed with increasing fervency, nearly a prayer. At Montclair Presbyterian Church in Oakland, California, we have a community garden, constructed and mostly maintained by the youth group members. A large rainwater tank... Read more

A Church Garden The idea for a garden originated with a mission program presented for our Women’s Group., where information was shared from Presbyterian publications on the many ways that churches have been helping with food for people in need. At about the same time one of our members was given some free seeds, leftovers from past seasons, some many years ago. We would need to have faith that these seeds might still grow. The seeds were distributed at the... Read more

Cooking Up Justice at the Church Health Center by Rev. Stacy Smith Macaroni and cheese, oven fried chicken and ice cream. Can these foods every be deemed “healthy?” At the Church Health Center, we believe they can. The Church Health Center is a faith-based healthcare nonprofit in Memphis, Tennessee. We have a clinic for the working uninsured and provide comprehensive health care for over 60,000 residents in our county. In addition to the clinic, we operate a pre-school, a for-profit... Read more

Cooking Fresh by Corene Everett Cooking with fresh foods has been a lifelong learning experience, from childhood experiments in the kitchen to relying on the open air markets in China for food rather than a grocery store, to discovering the joys of Mollie Katzen, Deborah Madison, and Alice Waters.  I’m no chef,  but I cook simple meals using fresh ingredients for my family because I believe the best option for healthy, delicious food is what we prepare at home. I’ve... Read more

“Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and just as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.” Genesis 9:3 “Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them.” – Samuel Butler “Most people see a documentary about the meat industry and then they become a vegetarian for a week.” – Jason Reitman “I think anyone who is a carnivore needs to... Read more