Recipes for Community
Community Engagement
free events/programs that engage the community in
art-making, food, and conversation
Story Seeds
Story Seeds was a storytelling and art-making engagement that I facilitated with the community present at the 32nd Street Farmers Market in Baltimore, MD on two Saturdays in October 2021. Based on the premise that stories are key to investing in our local communities, I interviewed people about their own market stories in exchange for “Market Muffins,” baked with zucchini, carrots, and walnuts from local farms. The process of engagement is best described by a story that I tell about two participants.
Lunch Box Love Notes
Lunch Box Love Notes was originally developed as a story stand for the Story Market: Tastes of Home. Miranda Betts, Owner/Chef of Farm to Face Café, and I bonded over the love notes my mom used to leave in my lunch box, and the ones she left in her daughter's lunch box. At Farm to Face, "love" is the secret ingredient. There's a heart carved into every fresh batch of falafel! We brought this customer engagement initiative to the 32nd Street Farmers Market and Baltimore Farmers Market. While people waited for their falafel to fry, we invited customers to "Take a love note, leave a love note." Some community members stopped by just for the notes!
