Collection

Harvest Innovations 2021: Stories to Discuss at Thanksgiving

Solutions Journalism

Solutions Journalism Network

New York, NY, USA

Educator (NOT Journalism School)

While much of folklore surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States is inaccurate at best or intentionally misleading at worst, most of us do gather with loved ones on the fourth Thursday each November to enjoy a meal and give thanks.  And like many other fall festivals around the world, ours started out and more or less continues to be a celebration of the harvest.  We've created this collection to celebrate those origins by highlighting recent solutions journalism about the innovative and truly fascinating ways that Americans are continuing to improve upon this most basic of human activities – the growing and sharing of food.  In previous years, we've brought you collections about innovations in food production; this year, we are bringing you news about collaborative methods of bringing food into communities that previously lacked access to affordable, fresh, nutritious groceries. Pick a favorite and share what you learn with whoever is lucky enough to sit next to you at dinner on Thursday!

In Oklahoma, the Quapaw tribe combines Indigenous food and farming knowledge with modern hotel operations at the Downstream Casino Resort, reclaiming their land and food sovereignty.

In Waco and Dallas, community-based markets are bringing nutritious food to residents in economically disadvantaged areas that used to be food deserts.

In Detroit, entrepreneurs are finding grant funding and supportive programs to help them build a Black-owned food ecosystem - and combat stereotypes about the dietary preferences of local residents.

And in Philadelphia, the community organization Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha started a club to let local residents to buy food in bulk at wholesale prices, increasing food security by bringing affordable, nutritious food to their neighborhood.