Oakland Food Policy Council

I arrived on the scene as an intern for the Oakland Food Policy Council (O.F.P.C.) in late August, when “Party with a Purpose” was just a blueprint: activist Jason Harvey and author Anna Lappé would be speaking at Oakland's popular locavore restaurant, Pizzaiolo, with all our Council members scattered throughout the yet-to-be-assembled crowd of supporters. I began to plot out the basic steps to make the O.F.P.C.'s premiere fundraising event a success. Soon to come down the pike were planning meetings with two of the O.F.P.C.'s wonderful staff, Asiya Wadud and Alethea Harper, an enthusiastic Oakland youth, Reggie LaVince, and the creative and committed Council member, Hai Vo. Meanwhile, other Council and community members were helping us to pull together the pieces: from the aprons or t-shirts or both debate, to the furnishing of our silent auction and the complex art of spreading the word. The more we worked, the more excited we all became to enjoy a motivating and informative evening with all those dedicated to the mission of the O.F.P.C.

Days before the event, I am rounding up aprons silkscreened with the image of stalks of ripe tomatoes, contacting Oakland's mayoral candidates, and fliering the town while Ms. Harper is on an excursion to Napa to pick up our delightful Merryvale wine donation and Ms. Wadud is coordinating our beloved volunteers. Next up, pick up the keg from Linden St. Brewery!

At long last, all of us are gathered at “Party with a Purpose,” munching away at the delicacies from the Pizzaiolo kitchen, overhearing conversations about all our diverse individual journeys towards a concern for equitable and sustainable food systems, catching a glimpse of pizza dough twirling through the air, and contemplating how to best put the O.F.P.C.'s 10 step plan into action. Mr. Harvey delivered a soul-touching talk on the importance of food sovereignty for healthy and safe neighborhoods and Ms. Lappé, honoring the legacy of her mother and co-founder of Food First, Frances Moore Lappé, rallied us all into a cheer of: “What do we want?”/”Food justice!”/”And when do we want it?”/NOW!” Departing from the event, I sensed that we had all taken away with us a renewed passion and optimism for a brighter future for everyone here in Oakland. All in all, it was a marvelous evening and I hope that those of you who attended enjoyed yourselves and, for those of you who couldn't make it out, I look forward to greeting you at our next event!

– Lia Irene Mezzio

Check out photos from the event here!