As the season of autumn abundance is upon us, I am checking in from the Charlotte Maxwell Clinic (CMC), where I have the privilege of working as a volunteer, providing free holistic and integrative healthcare to underserved women who are living with cancer. For the past 25 years, CMC has offered a wide range of holistic services to women who could not otherwise afford them: therapeutic massage and other kinds of bodywork, acupuncture, Chinese and western herbal medicine, exercise classes, as well as referrals to medical and social services. For many of those 25 years, the Full Belly Farm community has delivered produce boxes to CMC though the Farm Box Donation Program.
Women whose lives are often complicated, hectic, and difficult enter a serene healing space that is entirely dedicated to their own health and healing when they arrive at the Clinic. They are greeted by caring, compassionate staff and hot herbal tea. And the first thing they see when they walk in, is a beautiful display of Full Belly fruits and vegetables, free for the taking. They are always taken – by the end of each shift, the fruits and veggies are gone. As a clinic volunteer, I wholeheartedly thank the Full Belly community for the bounty they have provided over the years. As a long-time Full Belly Farm member, it puts a big smile on my face to know that the women CMC serves can put the same fresh organic produce on the table for themselves and their families as I do. I encourage Full Belly Farm members to pay for a CMC box donation when they can, or donate boxes when they go on vacation so we can continue to provide fresh organic produce to the women who come to CMC for nourishment of body, mind, and spirit.
Please contact the farm if you have any questions about the Farm Box Donation Program.
In profound gratitude,
—Donna Odierna, Oakland
CMC clients receiving Full Belly produce.
