I lost a friend last week. I go to bed thinking about her and I wake up in the morning thinking about her. She was too young! It reminded me to slow down and take a moment to be thankful for all of the blessings in my life. Death is a part of our human experience, there is no way to escape it. We come into life alone, and we leave life alone, but in between, if we are so blessed to be surrounded by family, friends, and community, it is essential to stop and be grateful for all that you have. Share your love and gratitude with others, and help make the world a better place!

With the drop in temperature, I needed to harvest everything that was left in my garden immediately, or it would freeze. I didn’t realize how much I still had out there! Lots of lettuce, arugula, swiss chard, collard greens, parsley, cilantro and peppers. I’ll finish covering the rows with leaves this coming weekend and put the beds to rest until the Spring. I wish I could say that then I get to rest, but that is not the case. I am coming into my busiest time of year, with Thanksgiving and Feeding those in Need.

This week, on the Progressive Radio Network, I have the pleasure of introducing to you two women who are making a difference in their community. Amelia Reese Masterson, is the Executive Director of CitySeed, and Sumiya Khan, is the co-founder of Sanctuary Kitchen.

CitySeed is a nonprofit organization that seeks to provide all New Haven residents with access to fresh, local food. They also work to build economic opportunity in the food system and believe a just food system is foundational to a thriving community. In that light, CitySeed developed the program Sanctuary Kitchen, to promote and celebrate the culinary traditions, cultures, and stories of refugees and immigrants resettled in Connecticut.

Amelia has worked for over a decade at the intersection of food security, health, agriculture, and refugee services. She has worked with Iraqi and Syrian refugees across the Middle East on food security programming, in addition to spending time in New Haven, both earning a Masters in Public Health and working in community-based food and nutrition services. She sees food justice as central to the well being of New Haven, and food as a vehicle for bringing community members together.

Sumiya is a Registered Dietitian, and the Kitchen Program Manager at CitySeed, where she oversees Sanctuary Kitchen, cooking and food education, and food business incubation. She is the daughter of Indian immigrants and global justice activists, and is a California native raised among a diverse and multicultural community with a large immigrant and refugee population. Started as her passion project, Sanctuary Kitchen is the synthesis of her upbringing, work in social justice, and passion for food and nutrition. In her spare time, Sumiya enjoys baking, world traveling and photography.

I hope you can join us on Thursday for a great conversation about food, community and bringing people together. My radio show, iEat Green with Bhavani on the Progressive Radio Network is live, every Thursday, from 10-11 am, EST.  To tune in to the live show, just navigate to PRN.fm and listen in!

If you miss our live show please listen on iTunes by downloading the Podcast App.

If you want to call in during the show with any questions for me or my guest, the call-in number is 888-874-4888. If you are listening to the podcast after the live broadcast, you can still ask me a question by leaving me a voicemail message at 862-800-6805. Just remember to say your name, what show you’re calling about (iEat Green with Bhavani), and your question. The message will be passed on to me, and I will get back to you.

With Love and Gratitude,

Bhavani 

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