Bountiful Table looking for participants

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I learned of the "Bountiful Table" group at a sustainability conference put on here in Seattle recently.  I thought it was something to share with all of you.  I also thought what perfect places for people to come together and share food with dialog in the following stop cities (Missoula, Chicago, Boston, D.C., and New York) than in community gardens.  Emphasizing how sharing food and space can bring people together and facilitate healing. 

If your garden would like to host or if you're just interested please contact directly Sarah-Jane Menato at Bountiful Table 206-285-3274 or sjmenato@bountifultable.org (I am but a messenger) The following is a summary of the attached file outlining more specifics of their jouney for those of you who do not get attachments or are unable to open the file.

 

Bountiful Table, a local humanitarian organization, is leading an event entitled "Heart of America Bus Tour". In the days after September 11th, along with the horror and devastation, there has also been a sure and mighty heart opening in people and communities across the United States and throughout the world.  The Heart of America Bus Tour specifically addresses this extraordinary opportunity to support healing, and accelerate the visibility of already emergent thinking and practices of community.

 

Through the sharing of meals, creating of gathering space, and facilitation of expressive arts experiences in multiple cities across the nation, we intend to

· give the creative potential inherent in this national time of crisis  opportunity to take root in individual and community settings across the nation and have them linked to each other
· foster the human spirit of resiliency and radical generosity and create a forum for ongoing dialogue in the community
· produce a book and documentary film of the trip
· deliver the results of this process in the form of messages of hope and healing to The White House, the United Nations and through the Internet, to the people of the world.

 

The Bus Tour will travel across the United States, leaving Seattle on Thanksgiving Day and arriving in New York before Christmas, on December 17th, 2001 with stops in Missoula, Chicago, Boston and Washington DC.  The Bus Tour will connect and strengthen the foundational "spirit of giving" that has come pouring forward in this time. 

 

Each stop will host a three-night, two-day event, bringing diverse people together and reflecting the cultural landscape of each community.  At each stop and along the way we will listen and gather stories.  We will break bread and share meals, we will talk, we will sing, we will pray, we will call forth the elders, and we will gather seeds.  We will honor hope and the resiliency of the human spirit.  We will foster understanding between cultures, religions and philosophies, we will write the next chapter, for our children's sake. We will collect, carry and bring forward messages of hope for our world. 

 

Nov. 10  Cultural Crossroads Celebration Crossroads Mall

Nov. 17           Third Place Commons

Nov. 22 Thanksgiving Dinner at Whidbey Institute and Bus departs

Nov. 24-25  Missoula event

Nov. 26  Bozeman event

Nov. 30  Bus arrives in Chicago
Nov. 30-Dec. 2 Chicago event

Dec. 7   Bus arrives in Boston
Dec. 7-9  Boston event

Dec. 14  Bus arrives in Washington D.C.
Dec. 14-16  Washington D.C. event

Dec. 17  Bus arrives in New York
Dec. 19-23  New York event

Dec. 24  Homeward journey

Note: This schedule is subject to changes and does not include all stops.

 

BOUNTIFUL TABLE BACKGROUND 
 Bountiful Table (www.bountifultable.org) is a non-profit organization committed to bringing people together at one table to explore emerging critical issues and social dynamics of our time.  Through community celebration and feasting, people experience the power of positive action born out of authentic relationship. Our client list includes organizations such as YMCA, City of Seattle, State of Washington, Washington State University, Antioch University, Whidbey Institute, Fetzer Institute, Institute for Children's Environmental Health.