Full Belly Farm has donated 5 CSA boxes per week to the Charlotte Maxwell Clinic (CMC) since 1992. This program is sustained through the generosity of our CSA members who donate their boxes when they leave town, or purchase an extra box during the holidays, as a gift. We have little bit of additional information about this program on our web site.
This year, Full Belly is donating $5 to CMC for every Yarn Gift Box, Sampler Gift Box or Wreath purchased by our CSA members through Thanksgiving. That donation of $400 worth of produce will supplement the donations of CSA members.
This week, we heard from one of the CMC volunteers and decided to share her note with you.
As the light wanes at the winter solstice, and increases again throughout the holiday season and into the new year, many of us celebrate with family and friends. But the season can also be a time of challenge and sorrow for those of us who are far from our loved ones or who are going through rough times. At the Charlotte Maxwell Clinic (CMC), we offer free integrative care for underserved Bay Area women who are experiencing life after a diagnosis of cancer. It is a difficult journey in the best of circumstances. The women we serve often have additional challenges associated with having limited resources and being members of socially disadvantaged communities. The clinic is a place of comfort and, yes, joy, for those of us who work, volunteer, and come here for holistic healthcare and referrals to social services. The space is airy and pleasant, and is very much a community of women with a common vision of healing.
Through the Good Food Program, Full Belly Farm CSA subscribers contribute farm boxes to CMC clients. A beautiful display of Full Belly fruits and veggies welcomes women when they walk through the door. As a FBF member, and CMC volunteer, it makes my heart glad to see smiling clients select fresh, nourishing food to take home to their families (or in the case of veggies like kohlrabi, see them laughingly hold it up and try to figure out which end to cook!). This is possible because of the generosity of Full Belly Farm and its subscribers, who donate boxes to CMC. Please consider adding a box donation when you pay for your own boxes – this goes directly to women for whom fresh, organic produce is not within their reach. We can also donate boxes weeks when we are out of town.
In joy and gratitude,
Donna Odierna
CMC volunteer and Full Belly Farm CSA member
For more information about the Charlotte Maxwell Clinic.
